Ethylene Management

Ethylene coordinates ripening in climacteric fruit and drives changes such as softening, colour change, yellowing of green vegetables, and shortened shelf life. Because it acts at very low concentrations and moves freely as a gas, ethylene given off by ripening fruit in a mixed store can prematurely ripen or spoil sensitive produce stored nearby. Damaged, decaying, and stressed produce, and some combustion sources such as engine exhaust, can also raise ethylene levels.

The practical consequence is that produce should be grouped thoughtfully. High ethylene producers — many ripening fruits — are best kept apart from ethylene-sensitive items such as many leafy vegetables and unripe or long-storage crops.

Separation

Store and transport high ethylene producers apart from sensitive produce to prevent cross-exposure.

Ventilation and low temperature

Fresh air dilutes ethylene, and cold storage both slows ethylene production and reduces the produce’s sensitivity to it.

Scrubbing / removal

Ethylene is removed from store air by absorbers or catalytic and other scrubbing systems.

Action inhibitors

Compounds that block ethylene’s action can be applied to slow ripening of some crops, under label and regulatory conditions.

These tools are combined according to the produce and the goal. For long-term storage of ethylene-sensitive crops, keeping ethylene low is often as important as keeping the temperature correct.

For fruits that are harvested mature but unripe and ripened near the market — such as bananas and some other climacteric fruit — ethylene is applied deliberately in controlled ripening rooms to bring the fruit to eating condition uniformly and on schedule. This is the mirror image of ethylene removal, using the same hormone to speed rather than slow ripening.