Andrew William Smith

A New Palladium-Based Ethylene Scavenger to Control Ethylene-Induced Ripening of Climacteric Fruit

A novel palladium-promoted zeolite material with a significant ethylene adsorption capacity at room temperature is described. It was characterised by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to show palladium particles dispersed over the support. Initial measurements of the ethylene adsorption capacity were conducted with a synthetic gas stream at a higher ethylene concentration than would normally be encountered in fruit/vegetable storage, in order to obtain an accelerated testing protocol. Further laboratory-based trials on fruit samples show that the palladiumpromoted zeolite material can be effective as an ethylene scavenger to prolong the shelf-life of fresh fruits.

Development of a new palladium-based ethylene scavenger

A new palladium-promoted material was discovered with significant ethylene adsorption capacity. The material effectively scavenged exogenously administered and/or endogenously produced ethylene by climacteric fruit. Corresponding inhibition of ethylene-induced ripening was observed.