Ethylene is a naturally occurring small hydrocarbon gas that serves as an aging hormone in plants. Ethylene gas will ripen tomatoes, bananas, pears and a few other fruits postharvest. Premature ripening caused by naturally occurring ethylene gas will negatively influence the fruit’s texture and color, as well as shorten the time cycle for processors to ship to market. By reducing ethylene gas levels, PHI treatment provides the packing house with more time to process and ship before spoilage. A controlled test was performed where high levels of ethylene gas were introduced into a test chamber (25ppm), and when treated with a PHI cell the gas levels were reduced to 3.6 ppm in 12 hours.

Tests were conducted using an ASHRAE compliant HVAC testing system connected to a secondary test chamber.

85+% Reduction