Ethylene and Your Produce

…so what is Ethylene and why does it matter?

Have you ever wondered why your produce seems to spoil so quickly even after buying it so fresh? The culprit could likely be Ethylene. Ethylene is essentially a gas that is emitted by many fruits as they ripen. You can’t see it, taste it, or smell it, but you can certainly see its effects. If other ethylene-sensitive fruits or vegetables are near it, whether refrigerated or not, the ethylene gas will cause that produce to ripen and then spoil faster.

Knowing this, the best thing to do is to keep ethylene-producing produce away from ethylene-sensitive produce so that it will last longer.

Ethylene-Emitting Produce

• Apples

• Avocados

• Bananas

• Figs

• Melons

• Nectarines

• Peaches

• Pears

• Plums

• Tomatoes

Ethylene-Sensitive Produce

• Beets

• Broccoli

• Brussels Sprouts

• Cabbage

• Carrots

• Cauliflower

• Cucumbers

• Eggplant

• Leafy Greens

• Parsley

• Peas

• Peppers

Harness its Power

Believe it or not, you can actually use ethylene to your advantage! Knowing that it affects other produce to speed up the ripening process, you can strategically place ethylene emitting produce near some unripened sensitive produce to help it achieve your desired ripeness sooner. Try placing a green avocado in a brown paper lunch bag (to help concentrate the ethylene) with a ripe banana for a day or so. Just be sure to keep your eye on it so it doesn’t get too ripe!