f-901 Archives - Felix Instruments

What Is an Ethylene Monitoring System and Why Is It Critical for Fresh Produce?

Ethylene monitoring systems can have fixed or portable sensors. Other components of the monitoring systems could be data logging, data transmission, connectivity, remote access, and a control event scheduler. The sensors used to detect ethylene must be sensitive, selective, stable, rapid, and have the required lower limit and detection range. Ethylene monitoring in the postharvest… Continue reading…

What Is Ethylene Gas and Why Is It Shortening Your Fruit’s Shelf Life?

Ethylene is a natural phytohormone produced by plants and climacteric fruits, but also exists in the supply chain through anthropogenic sources. Ethylene accelerates unplanned ripening processes, causes decay, and increases susceptibility to physiological problems and pathogens. The effects of ethylene depend on fruit maturity stage, species, cultivars, the concentration and exposure duration of the gas,… Continue reading…

What Causes Postharvest Senescence in Fresh Produce

Senescence is one of the top two postharvest processes that cause food loss of fresh produce by curtailing shelf life. Ethylene production, programmed cell death, and cellular energy supply are significant processes associated with senescence in postharvest fresh produce. The mechanisms by which the three processes cause senescence are not entirely understood. Premature senescence and… Continue reading…

How to Improve Fresh Produce Supply Chain Risk Management for Better Food Safety

Supply chain risk management for fresh produce can include macro-level, external, and internal risks. Macro and external risk factors are outside a business’ control and can affect more than one location in the supply chain. Internal risks that cover a business’s operations, processes, and control measures can be managed using controlled atmosphere facilities and monitoring… Continue reading…

How Do the Effects of Ethylene on Flower Quality Impact Floriculture?

Ethylene is one of the main factors affecting flower and ornamental plant quality and longevity in the entire floriculture supply chain. Ethylene inhibits growth, branching, flower bud abortion, and leaf and flower abscission, reducing the quality and longevity of floriculture products. Floriculturists can increase ROI by monitoring and reducing ethylene levels in greenhouses, storage, distribution,… Continue reading…

How Does Controlled Atmosphere Storage Extend Fruit Shelf-Life?

Controlled atmosphere temperature and relative humidity are critical for ripening and storage. The three gases that need to be measured and controlled are ethylene, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. Several conditions, including gas composition, are reversed during the ripening and storage stages of the supply chain. Each postharvest stage of fresh produce requires specific conditions to… Continue reading…

How Degreening of Citrus Fruits Enhances Appearance and Quality

Artificial degreening changes only citrus peel color and does not affect other quality parameters. Several citrus factors, like maturity at harvest and cultivar-specific ethylene sensitivity, will influence degreening success. Postharvest degreening is the standard procedure and requires careful consideration of cultivars to determine atmosphere conditions, ethylene concentrations, and exposure duration to achieve the desired results.… Continue reading…

How the Fruit Ripening Process Affects Freshness and Quality

Respiratory rate, ethylene sensitivity, and production are the main criteria for differentiating ripening patterns. Respiratory peaks that trigger ethylene production start the ripening process in climacteric fruits. Ethylene sensitivity, production, and respiration hike are minimal or absent in non-climacteric fruits. Several fruits show varying degrees of ethylene sensitivity and production and defy neat classification in… Continue reading…

Fruit Cuticle Impact on Postharvest Quality: What You Need to Know

The cuticle is crucial in the postharvest stages as it is the interface between fruits and external biotic and abiotic conditions. Cuticle impact on postharvest quality has several protective functions and is a barrier to water loss, mechanical injuries, UV light, and pest and microbial attacks. It can also alter postharvest fruit firmness and appearance.… Continue reading…

How to Improve Post-harvest Quality in Fresh Produce

Factors affecting post-harvest quality are determined by harvest time, method, and fresh produce maturity. Subsequent postharvest handling during precooling, sorting, grading, packaging, storage, and transport conditions will also influence fresh produce quality and marketing time. Significant differences exist in postharvest technology between developing and developed countries. Fresh produce is highly perishable and suffers from physical… Continue reading…