Fresh Up® Ethylene Absorber Sachets protect produce at carton level — from harvest through to the supermarket shelf. A micro-perforated sachet sits directly with the fruit inside the box, tray or MAP bag liner, destroying ethylene, fungi spores and bacteria where they do the damage.
Suitable for all fruit, vegetables and flowers, all export markets, and works inside MAP bag liners. Trusted by growers and exporters across Australia and worldwide.
Where ethylene comes from
Ethylene comes off every crop you pack. In non-climacteric produce — grapes, cherries, citrus — output stays low and basal. Climacteric produce such as stone fruit, avocado, banana, apple and melon releases much more, and it builds on itself: once ripening starts, ethylene prompts still more ethylene.
The sharpest rises come from what happens to the fruit around packing:
- Cold chain breaks — waiting on the wharf, a warm transfer between reefer and cold store, a consignment held for clearance
- Temperature swings — production climbs with every degree, and that shelf life never comes back
- Damaged units — bruises, splits and early decay lift output well above sound fruit
- Mixed consignments — a heavy producer packed alongside a sensitive line
- Fruit picked at advanced maturity, or held too long before it is packed
- Exhaust fumes — forklifts and vehicles running in the packhouse
What it costs you
Nobody reports ethylene damage by name. It reaches you as a quality complaint:
Fruit loses pressure and falls short of the receiver’s spec
Yellowing of greens, floret opening, loss of original colour
Flesh browning and disorders hidden until the fruit is cut
Faster mould, shrivel and weight loss — little life left for the retailer
Benefits of ethylene control
How the sachet works inside a MAP bag
A MAP bag does not trap ethylene. The film is permeable to it, so ethylene passes out through the bag continuously, and the modified atmosphere — reduced oxygen, raised carbon dioxide — also slows how much the fruit produces in the first place.
But permeation is passive. Ethylene only leaves as fast as the concentration difference across the film allows. When fruit is producing faster than the film can vent — high maturity, a warm spell, a long voyage — the level inside settles low, but not at zero.
Triple protection — ethylene, fungi and bacteria
Potassium permanganate works on three fronts inside the carton:
| Threat | Mechanism | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Ethylene | KMnO4 oxidises the C=C double bond. Ethylene is converted to ethylene glycol, then broken down further to CO2 and water. | Permanently destroyed, not just trapped. Purple to brown colour change confirms activity. |
| Fungi | Reactive oxygen from the KMnO4 reaction breaks down fungal cell membranes and proteins on contact. | Spores killed before germination, containing mould and decay inside the carton. |
| Bacteria | KMnO4 oxidises bacterial proteins and cell wall components, disrupting enzyme function and membrane integrity. | Bacterial growth inhibited through direct oxidative action — a third layer of microbial protection. |
Organic compliant and approved
- Approved ECOCERT for organic crops — European EU, American NOP and Japanese JAS Organic
- Packaging material and ink are FDA approved for food contact
- Highly porous and 100% recyclable — tear, water and UV resistant
- The exhausted residue is eco-friendly — discard with regular trash or use as an organic fertiliser, being mostly manganese dioxide
Fresh Up® vs generic sachets
Independent third-party testing started all sachets at 2,000 ppm ethylene. Fresh Up® reached near-zero ppm in 48 hours. Generic sachets from Spain, USA and China all plateaued above 1,000–1,300 ppm and stopped absorbing.
| Fresh Up® | Generic Sachet | Why it matters | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sachet Size | 95 x 50 mm | ~60 x 60 mm or smaller | Inside a MAP bag air barely moves. 32% more surface area = more ethylene contact per hour = faster results. |
| Paper Type | Micro-perforated full-face airflow | Standard paper — no perforations | Perforations let ethylene reach the granules faster. Without them absorption is slow — especially in near-static MAP bag atmospheres. |
| Active Ingredient | 5.2 g per sachet | 2.5 g to 4 g per sachet | More active ingredient = longer protection. A 2.5 g sachet may need two per carton to match Fresh Up® — doubling the real cost. |
| KMnO4 Coating | 14% on granules | Up to 8% coating | Higher coating = more oxidation power per gram. Fresh Up® achieves 5.2 L/kg vs ~4 L/kg for generic sachets. |
| Absorption Capacity | 25 ml / sachet — 5.2 L/kg | ~20 ml / sachet — ~4 L/kg | Total ethylene destroyed before exhaustion. Greater capacity = protection for the entire voyage, not just part of it. |
| Ethylene at 48h | Near-zero ppm | 1,000–1,300 ppm — plateaued | Generic sachets stop absorbing and plateau. Fresh Up® keeps driving ethylene down and sustains it. |
| Price | Highly competitive | Varies | We beat any genuine like-for-like quote. Compare on ingredient weight, coating % and sachet size — not headline price alone. |
Always compare apples to apples: a 2.5 g sachet with 5% coating and no perforations may require two sachets per carton to match Fresh Up®’s single-sachet performance.
Specifications
| Active Ingredient | Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) — 14% coating on alumina carrier granules |
| Weight per Sachet | 5.2 g |
| Dimensions | 95 x 50 mm |
| Absorption Capacity | 25 ml ethylene / sachet — 5.2 L/kg |
| Paper Type | Micro-perforated — full-face airflow |
| Packing Detail | 2100pcs/Box |
| Shelf Life | 2 years |
| Certifications | FSSC 22000 • BRC Packaging • ISO 9001 • ISO 14001 • FDA/EU • ECOCERT Organic • Patented |
A Quality Control Label on each bag and case shows product description and quantity, product reference, date of manufacture, and granule specifications.
Product Brochure
Download the Fresh Up® Sachet brochure
Full specifications, the independent test results against generic sachets, and instructions for use inside cartons and MAP bag liners — in one PDF you can share with your team or your receiver.
Instructions of use
- Place the sachet inside the packing box, tray or bag, on top of the commodities.
- One sachet per carton in most applications — compare on active weight and coating before assuming two are needed.
- Ideal inside a MAP bag liner, where it controls ethylene in the near-static atmosphere around the fruit.
- Purple to brown — the colour change gives visible confirmation the sachet has been working.
- Single use — one sachet per packing cycle.
Ethylene by crop — trial results and postharvest guides
Each guide sets out the trial data and postharvest handling for that crop. Click any crop below to read the full article.
AvocadoIt needs cold — but cold can ruin it. UC Davis data and a 39-day Mexico–Japan trial.Read the full guide → Nectarine & plumIndependent HIN / Agriculture Victoria trial — severe flesh browning cut by up to 43%.Read the full guide → CherryThe clock doesn’t stop when the plane lands. Results from the Belgian trial.Read the full guide → Passion fruit5–7 days of shelf life and 25–40% typically lost. What changes that.Read the full guide → LycheeReal shelf life trial results on Australian export fruit.Read the full guide → MelonWhat 35 days at 4°C actually does — measured, not estimated.Read the full guide → RosesThe botrytis factor in cut flower transport.Read the full guide →
Shipping by sea? Add a Fresh Up® Ethylene Filter to scrub the container atmosphere in transit, while the sachet keeps protecting the fruit inside each carton right through to the shelf.
Your fruit deserves to arrive the way it left your packhouse.
Talk to us about sachets for your crop and your market — get in touch.