info@mandalaagrifresh.com
Golfutar, Budhanilkantha-8, Kathmandu
+977 9741688523 | 9822784000

Ever wondered why your fresh fruits and veggies sometimes spoil faster than you'd like? Too often, crisp apples become mushy, mangoes overripen, banana turn brown and fresh leafy greens become yellow. The culprit? Ethylene, a naturally occurring plant hormone that drives ripening and can shorten the shelf life of fresh produce, often causing fruits and vegetables to spoil before it is consumed.

Understanding Ethylene Gas and Its Impact

So, what exactly is ethylene?
It's a gaseous plant hormone crucial for the ripening process of many fresh produce. While ripening is essential for developing flavor, color, and texture, ethylene gas can also speed up spoilage, causing significant post-harvest losses. As fruits and vegetables ripen, they produce ethylene, which acts as a signaling molecule triggering various changes. An unripe fruit produces low levels of ethylene, but as it matures, ethylene production ramps up to induce ripening. This production continues even after harvest, decreasing shelf life and making the produce more susceptible to pathogens.

Monitoring and managing ethylene production is crucial to prevent over-ripening, which can render fruit unmarketable and decrease profitability. This is especially important for climacteric fruits like mangoes, bananas, apples, kiwis, avocados, and tomatoes, which can ripen after harvest. Their ripening is marked by an increased rate of respiration, higher transpiration, and a burst of ethylene production, meaning once it starts, it accelerates rapidly. Once initiated, ethylene production accelerates rapidly, potentially inducing ripening in neighbouring fruits. This ripple effect can lead to swift and uncontrolled ripening, ultimately resulting in widespread spoilage if not effectively managed.

The Role of Ethylene Absorber Sachets in Reducing Food Loss

Now, let's talk solutions. One simple yet highly effective technology to combat the detrimental effects of ethylene gas is the ethylene absorber sachet. These small, inexpensive packets contain natural minerals like zeolite powder and potassium permanganate, which absorb and neutralize ethylene gas. By removing ethylene from the environment, these sachets delay the ripening process and extend the shelf life of fresh produce.
Several success stories highlight the transformative impact of ethylene absorbers in reducing post-harvest losses and maintaining the quality of fresh fruits. Ethylene absorber sachets are widely used in mango, banana, apple, and kiwi supply chains around the world. Research indicates that using ethylene absorber sachets can minimize weight loss and waste percentage in mangoes for up to 20 days.

[Fatima, Farzana & Basit, Abdul & Younas, Muhammad & Shah, Syed & Sajid, Muhammad & Aziz, Iftikhar & Mohamed, Heba. (2023). Trends in Potassium Permanganate (Ethylene Absorbent) Management Strategies: Towards Mitigating Postharvest Losses and Quality of Mango (Mangifera indica L) Fruit. Food and Bioprocess Technology. 10.1007/s11947-023-03047-8.] Similarly, the use of corrugated cardboards covered with ethylene absorbers prevented the quality deterioration, delayed the ripening process of the mango, and retarded color degradation.[ Warsiki, Endang & Aprilliani, Fenny & Iskandar, Ade. (2019). The Effects of the Use of Corrugated Cardboards Covered with Ethylene Absorbers on Mango Fruit Quality after Short-Term Storage (Mangifera indica L.). Journal of Horticultural Research. 27. 65-70. 10.2478/johr-2019-0007.]


Why We Should Use Ethylene Absorber Sachets?

Using ethylene absorber sachets offers numerous benefits to farmers, traders, and retailers. For farmers, these sachets provide a cost-effective way to keep their produce fresh for longer periods, reducing the need for distress sales at low prices. Traders and retailers can source produce from distant production sites and supply new and distant markets, opening up new revenue streams and reducing the pressure to sell quickly before spoilage occurs. By incorporating these sachets into their storage and transportation practices, traders and retailers can procure larger volumes of fresh produce, negotiate better rates from suppliers, and keep produce fresh for days. This leads to more efficient supply chain management, less food waste, and higher profitability.

In Kathmandu, retailers are already experiencing the benefits of using ethylene absorber sachets. They are able to maintain the quality and firmness of mangoes for longer periods, reducing losses and enabling them to consistently supply quality mangoes to consumers at affordable price. The frequent supply chain disruptions due to rainfall and flooding in the Terai district, where most mangoes are produced, are also being mitigated. Even when transportation delays occur due to rain, landslides, or flooding, mangoes packed with ethylene absorber sachets and transported to market centers like Kathmandu maintain their quality by delaying ripening. This demonstrates how using ethylene absorbers can help build a more efficient supply chain.

Additionally, by integrating ethylene absorber sachets with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), farmers in Mustang have been able to store apples for months in cold storage while minimizing weight loss, spoilage, and quality deterioration. This combination further enhances the longevity and marketability of fresh produce, ensuring a steady supply of high-quality fruits to consumers.

Conclusion

Ethylene gas, while crucial for the natural ripening of fruits and vegetables, can significantly shorten the shelf life of fresh produce when not properly managed. Ethylene absorber sachets offer a simple, affordable, and highly effective solution to this problem. By delaying the ripening process, these sachets enable farmers, traders, and retailers to keep produce fresh for longer, opening up new markets, reducing food loss, and enhancing supply chain efficiency.

However, there is a lot of misinformation and confusion regarding the use of ethylene absorbing sachets and artificial ripeners like calcium carbide. The public, media, and even some experts often mistake ethylene absorber sachets, made of naturally occurring minerals, for artificial ripeners because they both come in sachet form. While artificial ripeners made of calcium carbide are harmful to human health, ethylene absorber sachets are not. It is crucial to educate the public about the safe and beneficial use of ethylene absorbers.

For a more sustainable and profitable fresh produce supply chain, it is essential to advocate for the widespread use of ethylene absorber sachets. This small technology can make a big difference in the fight against food waste, ensuring that more fresh produce reaches consumers in optimal condition, ultimately benefiting everyone involved in the agricultural supply chain. So, next time you enjoy a crisp apple from Mustang in April, you might just have an ethylene absorber sachet to thank!

To make a real impact, more awareness and advocacy are needed to promote the integration of this technology in the fresh produce supply chain. By doing so, we can help reduce food loss and waste, and build a sustainable food system. Whether you are a farmer, trader, or retailer, adopting this technology can transform your operations and contribute to a more efficient and sustainable supply chain.

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