Processing & Preservation
Ethylene
A gaseous plant hormone that triggers and accelerates ripening and senescence, active at parts-per-million concentrations.
Real-life application
The ripening gas behind the old kitchen trick of storing bananas away from other fruit, so the whole bowl doesn't ripen and spoil together.
Related terms
Climacteric fruit
Processing & PreservationFruit showing a sharp rise in respiration and ethylene production at the onset of ripening — banana, mango, apple, tomato — and able to ripen after harvest.
Controlled atmosphere storage
Processing & PreservationBulk storage in which gas composition is continuously monitored and actively corrected, used mainly for fruit such as apples.
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