What is Ethylene?

Fruit, vegetables and flowers are living entities that continue breathing once they have been harvested. In this process they produce carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H20), and ethylene (C2H4)

Ethylene is a hormone in the form of a gas which is produced naturally by all plants. This hormone regulates the processes associated with the ripening and senescence of fruit, vegetables and flowers.

The build-up of this gas speeds up the ripening process of these perishable items and consequently affects their quality and the length of their shelflife.

There are free pathogens in the atmosphere that affect the quality of fruit and vegetables which proliferate even further in the presence of ethylene, causing the plant tissues in perishable products to degenerate.