Ethylene
A colourless, faintly odorous gas. Ethylene is a potent plant hormone that tells fruits and vegetables that it's time to shut down their lifecycle
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Climacteric Fruit
Many fruits generate ethylene as they ripen. Apples, avocados, bananas, kiwi fruits, mangoes, peaches and pears (and many more) all produce ethylene
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Combustion
Combustion of any hydrocarbon creates trace amounts of ethylene during operation
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A Little Ethylene Does a Lot
Critical ethylene concentration is exceptionally low
An ethylene concentration of 0.1 ppm can reduce the lifetime of postharvest perishables by up to 50% That's a level 4000 times lower than the concentration of carbon dioxide in air |
Accumulation of ethylene is a problem in many applications
Ocean reefer shipping containers Fruit storage rooms Distribution warehouses Greenhouses Packing houses |