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Importance of low ethylene levels to delay ripening and
decay of non-climacteric fruit and vegetables Summary. The storage life of a range of non-climacteric fruit and vegetables was assessed during storage at ambient temperature (68°F) and low-temperature (32°-40°F) and ventilation with air containing ethylene over the range .005-10 PPM (parts per million). The storage life of Chinese cabbage and orange was found to be linearly extended with a logarithmic reduction in ethylene concentration. Across 23 kinds of produce, there was about a 60% extension in postharvest life when stored in 5 PPB (parts per billion) compared with 100 PPB, the commonly considered threshold level for ethylene action. It is suggested that the threshold level of ethylene action on non-climacteric produce is well below 5 PPB and that the level of ethylene that accumulates around produce in all commercial situations is always much greater than 5 PPB. Hence, any postharvest action that reduces the accumulation of ethylene around non-climacteric produce during marketing will result in an increase in postharvest life.
Source. Department of Food Technology, University of Newcastle, Australia.
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