The rose was flown to see if the microgravity environment would alter the fragrance of the rose, or perhaps produce an entirely new scent something very important to the multi-billion dollar a year flavors and fragrance industry. This transformation has created a completely new fragrance that is not of this Earth. IFF intends to further explore space research on living plant materials to benefit mankind. This research was done using the Commercial Plant Biotechnology Facility, designed for space-based research and featuring a totally enclosed and precisely controlled environment, and was able to reduce plant growth cycles. An example of this was reducing the soybean growth cycle from an average of 110 days to an average of 62 days a significant improvement.
Ethylene is a natural hormone that is an essential part of the ripening process.
Too much of it, however, causes plants and plant products to prematurely wither and spoil. KES Science and Technology of Georgia has licensed the patent to the system, which uses glass pellets coated with titanium dioxide and ultraviolet light to remove ethylene, and is marketing it under the brand name Bio-Kleen to grocers and others involved with the storage and transports of plants and materials. Unlike other systems, this technology requires virtually no maintenance and has also been shown to reduce bacteria, molds, and odors from storage rooms. It is estimated that the system could increase the shelf-life of perishable items by a week, providing a significant savings by reducing the amount of food or other materials that spoil and have to be thrown away. The production minitubers, dime-sized potatoes used as seeds for larger crops, is a business that is anything but small potatoes.