Ethylene is the ripening hormone produced by fresh produce after harvest. It is active at concentrations of a few parts per million, cannot be seen or smelled, and by the time the damage shows the fruit is usually at the far end of the chain.
Where ethylene comes from
All fresh produce makes ethylene. Non-climacteric lines such as grapes, cherries and citrus produce it only at low, basal levels. Climacteric lines — stone fruit, avocado, banana, apple, melon — produce far more, and their production is self-accelerating: once ripening starts, ethylene drives more ethylene.
The biggest increases come from conditions in the load:
- Breaks in the cold chain — a delay on the wharf, a warm transfer between reefer and cold store, a container held for clearance or inspection
- Temperature variation — production rises sharply with every degree, and the fruit does not recover the shelf life it loses
- Bruised, split or decaying units producing far more than sound fruit
- Mixed loads — a high-producing line alongside a sensitive one
- Advanced maturity at packing, or fruit held too long before loading
- Combustion sources in the packhouse — forklift and vehicle exhaust
What it costs you
Ethylene damage is rarely reported as ethylene damage. It arrives as a quality complaint:
Loss of firmness and pressure — fruit fails the receiver’s spec
Yellowing of greens, floret opening, loss of original colour
Flesh browning and disorders that only appear when cut
Faster mould, shrivel and weight loss — little life left for the retailer
Benefits of ethylene control
How produce arrives depends on a lot of things — harvest maturity, handling, temperature control, transit time and delays outside anyone’s control. Ethylene control does not fix a broken cold chain or rough handling. What it does is remove one of the largest causes of loss, and one you can actually do something about inside the carton and the container:
Ethylene 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. The modified atmosphere also works in your favour: reduced oxygen and raised carbon dioxide slow how much ethylene 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.
Two levels of protection
Biopac supplies ethylene control at two levels, using the same proven potassium permanganate chemistry in two different formats.
Fresh Up® Ethylene Filters
The BPC100 filter is fitted in front of the reefer air vents, so all circulating air is scrubbed of ethylene, fungi spores and bacteria before it reaches the fruit.
Fresh Up® Absorber Sachets
A micro-perforated sachet placed inside the carton, tray or MAP bag liner, sitting directly with the produce. It protects against ethylene, fungi spores and bacteria, and travels with the fruit all the way to the supermarket shelf.
| Filter | Sachet | |
|---|---|---|
| Protects | The whole container or cold room | Every individual carton |
| Fitted | At the air vents, in the air stream | Inside the box, tray or MAP bag |
| Protection lasts | Through the voyage or storage period | All the way to the supermarket shelf |
| Best for | Sea freight, reefers, trailers, C.A. and cold storage | All produce, all export markets, inside MAP liners |
How potassium permanganate works
Both products use potassium permanganate (KMnO4). It does not simply trap ethylene — it permanently destroys it. Air is cleaned in three stages:
Particles and microorganisms are captured inside the porous carrier structure.
Ethylene is destroyed, along with acetaldehyde, ethanol, sulphur compounds and a broad range of Volatile Organic Compounds.
A natural anti-microbial agent, oxidising fungal spores and bacterial cell walls on contact.
Ethylene is oxidised at the C=C double bond and converted to ethylene glycol, which breaks down further to carbon dioxide and water. The manganese is reduced to manganese dioxide — the brown-black residue that gives visible confirmation the product has been working.
Triple protection — ethylene, fungi and bacteria
Potassium permanganate works on three fronts, in the filter and in the sachet alike:
| 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 released by KMnO4 attacks fungal cell membranes and spores on contact. | Spores killed before germination, containing mould development. |
| Bacteria | KMnO4 oxidises bacterial proteins and cell wall components, disrupting enzyme function and membrane integrity. | Bacterial growth inhibited, and fewer airborne microorganisms in circulation. |
Organic compliant and approved
Biopac ethylene control products contain non-invasive, non-contaminating minerals and salts, and are permitted for use with organic crops under European regulation EC 834/2007 and the American National Organic Program.
The exhausted residue is eco-friendly — discard with regular trash or use as an organic fertiliser, being mostly manganese dioxide. All granules and powder are produced under a strict ISO 9001 registered Quality Management System, with traceability and quality records enforced at every production level.
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.
Your fruit deserves to arrive the way it left your packhouse.
Product Brochures
Download the Fresh Up® brochures
Full specifications, test data and instructions for use — one PDF for the container filter, one for the carton sachet. Share them with your team or your receiver.
Talk to us about the right ethylene control for your crop and your market — get in touch.