And then all of this leads to a pretty narrow set of fruits and vegetables that are available in stores today relative to the amazing diversity of what's really out there. And so it's really like the categories that can survive storage and transportation that are commonly available. And those aren't always the ones that taste best or have the highest density of nutrients. So my friends wanted to approach this differently.↳这一切最终导致了一个问题：相较于自然界中丰富多样的水果和蔬菜，我们今天在商店里能买到的品类其实非常有限。基本上只有那些能够在储存和运输过程中幸存下来的品类才会常见。但这些并不一定是味道最好的，或者营养密度最高的。于是，我的朋友们想用一种不同的方式来应对这个问题。

And we led first with some questions. How do plants protect themselves? Well, with a peel. Plants, just like us, have a skin or a peel, technically called the plant cuticle, and that helps to protect them from moisture loss, oxidation and infection. And what are those peels made of? Fatty acids, glycerides. That's what's the important part. And these are ingredients found universally in all plants. In the peel, pulp and seeds, and including in plants that we already eat. Different fruits have different shelf lives because of the thickness and arrangement of these materials in those peels.我们首先提出了一些问题：植物是如何保护自己的？答案是果皮。植物和我们一样，也有一层“皮肤”，学术上称为“角质层”，它能帮助植物抵御水分流失、氧化以及感染。那么这些果皮由什么构成呢？主要是脂肪酸和甘油酯——这才是关键所在。而这些成分在所有植物中普遍存在，不论是果皮、果肉还是种子，甚至在我们日常食用的植物中也都有。不同水果的保鲜期长短，其实和这些物质在果皮中的厚度与排列方式有关。

So the idea then is: Can we take these harmless, edible, plant-based ingredients, apply them in a thin layer on the surface of fresh fruits and vegetables to help reinforce the existing natural peel? And if you do that, can you help to retain peak flavor, texture and nutrients for longer without reliance on refrigeration, pesticides, waxes or plastics?于是，想法就诞生了：我们是否可以利用这些无害、可食用的植物性成分，把它们涂覆在新鲜水果和蔬菜的表面，形成一层薄膜，来强化原本的天然果皮？如果能做到这一点，是否就能在无需依赖冷藏、农药、蜡涂层或塑料包装的情况下，延长食材的最佳风味、口感和营养？

And so that's what James, Lou and I, that's why we founded Apeel Sciences and ultimately headed to James's garage to try and figure out. We started first by partnering with a small local grower, and we tested the idea on this category you may not have heard of called finger limes. They are literally finger-shaped, and when you cut them open, the pulp is in the shape of beads, like caviar. They are delicious, and they’re super fragrant. But once they’re picked, that grower had maybe about seven days before their organic limes would start to dry out and the skin would start to change color. And that was even with refrigeration.↳于是，这就是我、詹姆斯和路易斯创立 Apeel Sciences 的原因。我们最终跑到詹姆斯的车库里，开始动手实验。起初，我们与一家本地的小型种植户合作，把这个想法应用到一种你可能没听说过的水果——“指橙”（finger limes）上。它们真的像手指一样细长，当你切开时，果肉呈现出一颗颗像鱼子酱般的珠粒，味道鲜美，香气浓郁。但问题是，一旦被采摘下来，这些有机指橙大概只有七天的时间就会开始干瘪、果皮变色——即便是在冷藏条件下也是如此。