Ethylene-managed cold rooms are a valuable tool in the fight against post-harvest loss of fresh fruits and vegetables. By controlling ethylene levels and maintaining optimal storage conditions (temperature and relative humidity), these cold rooms can help reduce food waste, maintain quality and increase profitability for growers and suppliers.
Ethylene is a natural plant hormone that is produced by fruits and vegetables as they ripen. However, ethylene can also accelerate the ripening process of other fruits and vegetables that are stored nearby, leading to premature spoilage and waste. To address this problem, ethylene-managed cold rooms have been developed to reduce post-harvest loss of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Ethylene-managed cold rooms are designed to control the levels of ethylene in the air to prevent premature ripening and spoilage of stored produce. This is realized by using an ethylene removal system. A platinum catalyst based ethylene converter is the most efficient way of reducing ethylene in the air. In this way low ethylene levels can be maintained in the storage environment. By managing ethylene levels, these cold rooms can extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, reduce spoilage, and maintain overall quality.
Besides ethylene control, relative humidity (RH) control is also crucial when storing fresh produce. It is commonly known that high humidity conditions help significantly in the retention of the natural moisture content in stored produce. By maintaining optimal RH levels, it is possible to minimize water loss, reduce decay, preserve quality, increase storage life and improve profitability.
