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CNN features UW fresh-produce technology

September 11, 1999
Read the original news release about Marc Anderson’s device.

CNN’s Science and Technology Week will run a report on Saturday (Sept. 12) about a UW–Madison technology that has traveled from outer space to the nation’s grocery stores. The half-hour program begins at 12:30 p.m. CST.

UW–Madison engineer Marc Anderson developed and patented a device that can rid enclosed spaces of ethylene, a chemical naturally produced by plants which, in high concentrations, causes unchecked spoilage. Originally designed to keep plant growth experiments alive aboard the NASA space shuttle, an Atlanta company is now marketing the technology nationally to grocery stores, with the hopes of extending the shelf life of fruits, vegetables and cut flowers.