Food storage
Checking the ripening process - CO2 and ethylene sensors
Ethylene sensors are used everywhere where fruit has to be transported and stored. Ethylene (C2H4) is given off into the ambient air by almost all fruits and contributes substantially to fruit ripening when present in the right concentration. Ethylene sensors and CO2 sensors from smartGAS help you in the monitoring and efficient control of the ripening process - regardless of whether it is during storage or transportation.
Detailed information on the product
Here you will find an overview of the product data sheets. Please contact us for an individual consultation.
Control fruit ripening - with NDIR sensors from smartGAS
In order to ensure that the fruit comes out of the transportation and storage periods in good condition, they are preserved in a protective atmosphere. The degree of ripeness and growth can be selectively influenced by means of a defined temperature and through controlled concentrations of CO2, O2 and C2H4. Our CO2- and C2H4 sensors come in when monitoring the correct concentrations.
The role of ethylene in the ripening process
Ethylene is a plant hormone and plays an important role in the ripening process of various fruits, such as apples, bananas and tomatoes. People have being making use of this effect since ancient times by putting together ripe and unripe fruits. The ripe fruits give off ethylene and thereby in turn stimulate the ripening process of the still unripe fruits.
Bananas, which are predominantly from South America and Asia, are harvested while still green, packed and transported on refrigerated vessels in order to interrupt the ripening process. After unloading, the bananas ripen in so-called banana ripening plants. There they are fumigated with ethylene at a concentration between 100 and 1000 ppm. Ethylene sensors ensure the planned fruit ripening through the continual monitoring and controlling of the C2H4 content in the store atmosphere.
