Introduction

Ethylene has an important role in many plant development processes, especially fruit ripening. Occasionally products are launched that claim to remove ethylene from fruit and vegetable storage. Strategies to minimise fruit exposure to external sources of ethylene and treatments for managing the internal ethylene concentration are the key to commercial optimisation of the storage life and eating quality of many fruits.

SANDRY® ethylene absorber can control ethylene gas of fruits and vegetables allowing slow maturation. When removing the ethylene from packaging products which are sensitive to this gas, less deterioration of food it is allowed prolonging freshness.

WHAT IS ETHYLENE GAS?

Without scent and invisible to the eye, ethylene (C2H4,) is a hydrocarbon gas. Ethylene gas in fruits is a naturally occurring process resulting from the ripening of the fruit, or may be produced when plants are injured in some way. So, what is ethylene gas? Ethylene gas in fruits and vegetables is actually a plant hormone which regulates the plant’s growth and development.

WHERE DOES ETHYLENE COME FROM?

Ripening fruits
Smoke
Vehicle exhausts
Ripening rooms
Ripening fruit

ETHYLENE’S NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON FRUIT AND VEGETABLE

Ethylene production in climacteric fruit is described as an ‘autocatalytic’ process i.e. exposure to an initial small concentration of ethylene causes the fruit to produce greater quantities of ethylene until a peak concentration is achieved. Exposing immature climacteric fruit to ethylene can trigger this autocatalytic response, causing premature ripening and result in fruit with poor eating quality.

BENEFITS OF SANDRY® ETHYLENE ABSORBER