We’ve all at one point or another heard the idiom “One bad apple, ruins the bunch”. This particular saying is directly related to the effect that one overripe apple can have on the accompanying apples, as it continues to emit ethylene into the surrounding atmosphere, accelerating the ripening and senescence of the entire bunch in the process.

Ethylene gas is an odourless, colourless gas that exists in nature and which is triggered at maturity in climacteric fruits. Ethylene, also known as either the ‘death or ripening hormone’, plays a regulatory role in many processes of fruit & vegetable growth, development, and eventually decay.

Current industry solutions involve invasive handling and inaccurate practices that are more data reactive than proactive when it comes to the conservation of produce across the cold chain lifecycle.

The ripening process is the last stage of fruit & vegetable development that brings about various biochemical changes rendering the fresh produce more attractive for consumption and helping in seed release and dispersal.