In this article, we will introduce some methods to ripen fruit evenly, ways to make fruit ripen quickly, and the principle of ethylene ripening fruit that you can apply in your life. Many fruit ripening agents are used to make fruit ripen evenly to achieve the desired sweetness, eye-catching color, and quality, making it easier to sell and appealing to consumer tastes.
However, some fruit ripening agents are not good for human health and can cause unexpected dangers. That’s why many people hesitate to buy ripe fruit at the market and look for ways to ripen fruit quickly at home. Sellers also look for ways to ripen fruit evenly without using chemicals to ensure consumer health and make it easier to sell.
Some current methods to ripen fruit evenly:
After harvesting, fruits are transported to the selling place, and they are ripened quickly and uniformly to look more appealing and sweeter, which stimulates consumers.
Therefore, making fruit ripen quickly is a necessary need. Cleaning the fruit and actively ripening it will prevent spoilage and give the fruit the beauty and aroma of ripe fruit.
However, to have the highest quality ripe fruit, it is necessary to have a proper on-tree care process, harvest the fruit when it is mature enough, and apply good post-harvest fruit preservation measures. Each type of fruit in each harvest season requires different processes.
There are many different ways to make fruit ripen quickly and evenly. Below are the ways to ripen fruit evenly that are commonly used today:
– Using ethylene gas to ripen fruit quickly and evenly
– Using ethephon to ripen fruit
– Using calcium carbide to force-ripen fruit
– Using fruit ripening agents of unknown composition and origin from China
– Folk methods to ripen fruit evenly without using chemicals.
1. Using ethylene gas to ripen fruit quickly and evenly:
Ethylene C2H4 is a plant hormone in gaseous form that participates in the natural fruit ripening process. This hormone is formed inside the plant and is responsible for aging, ripening, and causing the shedding of leaves, flowers, and fruits. This is the most effective way to ripen fruit evenly.
Ethylene gas is often used to ripen fruit to make them ripen quickly and evenly. To make fruit ripen quickly and evenly, only a very small amount of ethylene gas (1/1,000,000) in the air is enough to trigger ripening for some easily ripened fruits such as custard apples, bananas, and sapodillas.
In the application of using ethylene to ripen fruit, it is also necessary to know the respiration of different types of fruit. The stronger the respiration, the lower the amount of ethylene gas required. Even using one ripe fruit to “prime” other fruits to ripen is sufficient.
When using a fruit ripening machine, the appropriate ethylene gas mixture and temperature are introduced into the machine depending on the type of fruit. The ripening reaction usually occurs at 25 degrees Celsius, but experiments must be conducted to determine the exact temperature for each type of fruit to achieve the best quality and appearance.
>>> Decoding why ethylene ripens fruit
Recently, Professor Bhesh Bhandari and his colleagues at the University of Queensland, Australia, researched converting ethylene gas into a powder that can ripen fruit during transportation to supermarkets.
Spraying or applying 40g of ethylene powder on fruit is enough to ripen about 20 tons of mangoes. Ripening fruit evenly with ethylene powder is more stable, safer, and cheaper than using ethylene gas. Excess ethylene can affect the nervous system, irritate the eyes and skin, affect the lungs, and cause oxygen deficiency in the body.
Therefore, the correct way to ripen durian, mangoes, papayas, or other fruits with ethylene is to use a reasonable dose and then blow away any excess.
However, this method of ripening fruit quickly should only be used for fruit harvested when mature. Because fruit that is forced to ripen before maturity will not achieve the desired sweetness and flavor, as the conversion of aroma and sugar from starch has not fully occurred.
2. Using ethephon to ripen fruit quickly and evenly
Ethephon is a precursor of ethylene, belonging to the group of plant growth regulators, abbreviated as CEPA or ACEP, and the chemical name is 2-Chloroethyl phosphonic acid.
Depending on the manufacturer, it has many different trade names such as Ethrel, Bromeflor, Arvest… Ethephon exists in liquid form from colorless to pale amber, easily soluble in water.
Currently, ethephon is widely used to ripen fruit in many countries around the world, such as the United States, Italy, Chile, Canada, and Australia, which have allowed the use of ethephon as a legal fruit ripening agent.
Ethephon combines with water in plants and converts into ethylene gas to promote rapid fruit ripening or stimulate rubber latex production…
3. Using calcium carbide to force-ripen fruit
Calcium carbide CaC2, or calcium carbide gas, has been used by farmers for a long time because of its effectiveness. Because when calcium carbide comes into contact with water, it produces acetylene gas (C2H2), which helps fruit ripen quickly.
However, is calcium carbide toxic, and does it affect health?
Calcium carbide may contain toxic substances such as arsenic and phosphorus, which have an unpleasant odor and are prone to causing fires and explosions. Calcium carbide also has adverse effects on the nervous system, causing headaches and dizziness… so many countries around the world have banned its use…
4. Using fruit ripening agents of unknown composition and origin
Some businesses or individuals, in order to ripen fruit quickly and cheaply, choose to use chemicals of unknown composition and origin.
They are mostly in liquid form to soak fruit for quick ripening or are injected directly into the stem of fruits. These substances are often used to ripen durian, mangoes, papayas, or fruits that are difficult to ripen due to their thick flesh, uneven ripening, and high consumption.
Most of these fruit ripening agents contain ethylene as the main ingredient and are mixed with other substances. But due to clandestine sales and profit motives, most of these products have low chemical purity.
There is even a transformation into high-grade foliar fertilizer, which in addition to ethrel, also contains nitrogen or phosphorus, which has no health benefits and is actually dangerous.
The issue of using these fruit ripening agents can be controlled by using stimulants permitted by competent authorities at certain doses. Or by using some folk methods to ripen fruit evenly without using chemicals.
5. Safe methods to ripen fruit evenly without using chemicals
5.1 Using warm heat treatment to ripen fruit:
The temperature for rapid fruit ripening is 40-55°C with a humidity level of 85-90%. In the past, people often used the method of ripening fruit by placing it near the kitchen or in a closed oven to take advantage of the increased heat. This is also a way to ripen fruit evenly.
5.2 Using oxygen to ripen fruit evenly:
The principle of this method is to increase the respiration of agricultural products, accelerating the ripening process. For example, when treated with O2 at a concentration of 50-70%, fruit ripens 3 times faster than usual.
5.3 Using ripe fruit as a primer
This is the method of using natural ethylene from ripe fruit to ripen fruit that is almost ripe. The ethylene produced by the ripe fruit will make the other fruit ripen evenly and faster.
5.4 Placing fruit in plastic or paper bags to ripen quickly
Plastic or paper bags are always present in households, and you can use them to ripen fruit quickly and safely. All types of fruit contain ethylene to ripen themselves, so placing them in clean paper or plastic bags and tying the bag loosely prevents the ethylene from escaping, causing the fruit to ripen faster and naturally.
5.5 Easy way to ripen fruit quickly using cotton cloth
Cotton cloth is a simple and effective alternative to plastic or paper bags. With this method, you will be able to eat naturally ripe and delicious fruit at home in just 2-3 days.
5.6 Placing fruit in a rice container to ripen faster
Because the rice container can retain ethylene gas very well, placing fruit in a rice container will make them ripen faster than just leaving them on the kitchen counter or in paper or plastic bags. And the deeper you bury the fruit, the faster the ripening process will take place.
Above are 6 ways to ripen durian quickly and ways to ripen papaya quickly that you can apply.
Conclusion:
Depending on the conditions, you should choose a safe way to ripen fruit. If you use fruit ripening agents, you need to know the origin, purity, and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Be a smart consumer and choose fruit with a clear origin and that is ripened safely. If you are not confident, you can apply the 6 ways to ripen fruit evenly without using chemicals that we have introduced here. If you need to buy ethylene gas to ripen fruit safely or use it for rubber tapping, please contact MIGCO via the Hotline.
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