Fruits ripening [ Return towards Agriculture / Fish farming / Greenhouses ]
Fruits like bananas are often picked and shipped before being mature. The ethylene treatment, (ethylene is the natural ripening hormone), enables to ripen them just before being sold.
When the fruits have to be shipped over a long distance, they have to be picked green in order to avoid getting rotten. However, they have to be ripened before being sold. This step can be achieved and speed up by a treatment with a non flammable mix of nitrogen and ethylene (ALIGAL 101, AZETHYL or BANANAGAS depending on the countries), allowing a high storage flexibility by ripening them on demand.
The main concerned fruits are bananas, and also pears, avocado and kiwis. The treatment lasts a few hours.
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