In today’s global world, ethylene is extremely valuable as it allows for the harvest and global shipping of unripe fruit. Once at destination markets, the fruit can be ripened to premium quality. “Thank to ethylene, there are certain fresh fruits that the world gets to enjoy throughout the year,” says Greg Akins with Catalytic Generators.
Pros and cons of ethylene
Ethylene it is a natural plant hormone that affects the growth, development, ripening, and aging of all plants. It is normally produced in small quantities by most fruits and vegetables. Many fruits, like bananas, mangos, avocados and tomatoes produce larger quantities of ethylene and respond with uniform ripening when exposed to an external source of ethylene. This “off-plant” ripening process is virtually identical to what happens in nature.
“On the flipside, ethylene accelerates the ripening process and decay in products like leafy greens and flowers,” mentioned Akins. “These products are very sensitive to just low amounts of ethylene. In general, it’s best to keep ethylene away from anything that shouldn’t ripen.”
Conversion of concentrate into ethylene
Catalytic Generators has developed a process that involves the conversion of its Ethy-Gen® II Ripening Concentrate through its generators into ethylene. “The process involves passing prescribed, controlled amounts of Ethy-Gen® II through a special heated catalyst on a timed basis,” shared Akins. “We invented and patented this process over 40 years ago, so we consider ethylene application for fruit ripening our specialty.”Benefits of generator
According to Akins, there are several benefits of using a concentrate in combination with a generator. Ethylene itself is explosive, but when using Catalytic’s Generator in ripening rooms that are 1500 ft3 (43 m3) or larger, there is absolutely no chance of building up explosive levels of ethylene. Additionally, the equipment makes it easy to achieve proper ethylene levels for ripening, anywhere from less than 5 ppm for citrus degreening to 100 ppm for ripening of bananas and other fruits. Higher levels of ethylene can be provided if needed. A third benefit is that fresh produce companies have the ability to make their own ethylene through several types of ethylene generators. These systems can serve any ripening facility, from one small room to multiple rooms with hundreds of truckload capacity. Last, but not least the concentrate as well as the equipment is tested, inspected and certified by third party labs to show that no harmful by-products are produced during the conversion process.Global availability
Catalytic Generators’ products are available worldwide. The company is headquartered in Virginia and has distributors in 11 regions, including the UK, continental Europe, Australia, India and the Middle East. It ships directly from its facility in Virginia to regions that are not served by a distributor.
For more information:
Greg Akins
President & CEO
Catalytic Generators LLC
Tel: +1-757-855-0191