DEVISING NATURAL METHODS TO GENERATE ETHYLENE GAS FOR FRUIT RIPENING BY USING SOYBEAN OIL

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Fruit Handling Department, Horticultural Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt

2 Food Technology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt

Abstract

In order to synthesize Ethylene by a natural and easy way, the decomposition of unsaturated fatty acids, present in Soybean oil was carried out catalyzed by Iron powder and Ascorbic acid. A mbdure of 50 gm Soybean od, SO gm crushed Soybean seeds, 25 cm3 of Hydrogen peroxide (30%), traces of Iron and Ascorbic add was prepared, In a closed room (2.2 X 1.80 X 2.5 m.) and Kitagawa precision gas detectors to measure the emitted ethylene. The reaction yielded a range of 450 to 1200 ppm. of ethylene. In a ripening experiment, for 2 years (2005 and 2006), green mature banana "Williams cv.' was placed and exposed to gaseous emanation of Soybean oil for 24 hours before being stored partly in cold room at 13°C. and R.H.90%, in addition to a banana ripening treatment by Calcium carbide (common used method) and to non-treated banana as a control. Results show that gases emitted by Soybean oil treatment were as effective as Calcium carbide treatment In banana ripening and in same aspects were more effective. Banana treated with gaseous emission of Soybean oil had good quality characters and acceptable organoleptic value compared to banana ripened by Calcium carbide, while non-treated banana did not ripen normally and had an unacceptable quality. More experiments are needed to adapt this method of generating ethylene by Soybean oil for commercial uses.

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