Food contamination with ethylene

Ethylene may be the reason why your vegetables and fruits are spoiling fast. This is a gas that, through its accumulation, causes the ripening of the fruit in question and of nearby fruits that are susceptible to this gas. However, it's not just ripening, after a short period of time the fruit can become overripe and spoil, making it inedible.
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What is ethylene? Which fruits and vegetables are responsible for its heavy production and which fruits are sensitive to this gas? The answers to these questions can be found in this article. You will also learn, among other things, how to tackle the problem and what approach Lord is taking.

What is ethylene?

Just as humans have hormones that control the activities of various metabolic processes, plants produce their own hormones, called phytohormones, which control processes such as growth, development and responses to various external and internal stimuli. One of these plant hormones is ethylene, in other words ethen or ethylene.
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Ethylene is a gas hormone that is responsible for such things as plant leaf drop, fruit ripening, and processes during plant aging. Stress or injury to the plant can also be a stimulus for ethylene production. The function of ethylene that will now be the primary focus of this article is fruit ripening.

Ethylene is a highly flammable gas with a sweetish aroma and taste. It can be narcotic to humans.

Fruit ripening with ethylene

Ethylene plays a key role in fruit ripening. When fruits begin to ripen, they produce greater amounts of ethylene, which can accelerate the ripening of other fruits in their vicinity. This gas acts as a signal molecule that triggers various biochemical processes in the fruit, including accelerating starch hydrolysis, the conversion of chloroplasts to chromoplasts, and the synthesis of other substances that affect the aromatic properties and colour of the fruit.
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> So if you want to achieve ripening of, for example, one type of fruit, give a piece of ripe fruit to that type. This ripe piece essentially passes the ethylene to the next piece, thus achieving faster ripening of the fruit. The Ethylene ripening principle is also often used in the food industry.
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The process of ethylene ripening is particularly used in the storage and distribution of fruit and vegetables. For example, bananas are harvested while still unripe and are subsequently exposed to ethylene, which accelerates their ripening. Other fruits and vegetables are treated similarly. Thanks to this process, the fruit can be delivered to the shops when they are almost ripe, which allows their shelf life to be extended.

How is ethylene harmful?

In general, it can be argued that ethylene is harmful mainly to vegetables. The effects of ethylene on vegetables are negative. Some species may even be very sensitive to the gas. Yellowing of vegetables, increased susceptibility to low temperature damage, spread of rot. All of these adverse effects can devalue and spoil the fruit in question.
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Excessive ethylene production can cause fruit overripe. It can also lead to reduced fruit shelf life, rotting and susceptibility to damage during handling and storage. Therefore, monitoring and controlling ethylene production during storage and distribution is crucial to maintain optimal fruit condition and maximise fruit shelf life.

What to avoid to prevent food spoilage?

Ethylene build-up can be prevented by ventilation. Some species are also helped by storage at low temperatures. The effects of ethylene are greatly reduced at temperatures below 5 °C.
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However, each type of fruit and vegetable suits a different temperature. If you do not store fruit and vegetables at a temperature that suits the fruit, you expose them to the risk of premature deterioration, loss of flavour, etc. The table to the right shows suitable temperatures for several types of fruit and vegetables. The temperature data are based on values measured by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Ananas	10-11 °C
Avocado	8-10 °C
Bananas	13-14 °C
Citrons	8-15 °C
Liver	8-12 °C
Mango	8-12 °C
Cucumbers and courgettes	7-10 °C
Papaya	7-10 °C
Pomerangs	4-10 °C
Tomatoes and peppers	8 °C or more

Storage of certain vegetables and fruits especially can also be a very good idea if among the various fruits and vegetables you have those that are characterized by high ethylene production. Examples of vegetables with high ethylene production include tomatoes, potatoes, asparagus. Fruits include apples, bananas, pears, avocados, mangoes, citrus fruits, plums and many others. These fruits and vegetables should not be stored together.
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These species should also not be stored together with species that are sensitive to ethylene exposure. Foods that can spoil quickly due to ethylene exposure include spinach, corn, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, peppers, cucumbers, or broccoli, for example. Similar recommendations apply to herbs and mushrooms. You can prevent the spread of ethylene to other species by placing different ethylene-producing fruits and vegetables separately in sealable boxes.

Quite complicated, isn't it? Don't you want to solve the ethylene buildup problem? Then read on. We know how to do it!

UltraFresh ethylene absorption

We have the simplest possible solution for you. The UltraFresh function in our Lord C11 fridge offers it. This special filter can absorb ethylene build-up in the refrigerator compartment. Thanks to this feature, you'll never have to think about what to store together and what you'd rather not.
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All this magic is hidden by our extremely reliable and honest C11 refrigerator.

Fight fruit and vegetable spoilage with Lord C11

Our extremely reliable and honest Lord C11 refrigerator will keep your food fresh. You don't have to go shopping as often as you used to. In addition to the aforementioned UltraFresh feature, this fridge also offers you NoFrost automatic defrost, an ice bin, a virus, bacteria and odour elimination device and many other useful gadgets that every household will appreciate.

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Feel free to read more about our refrigerator Lord C11.