Ethylene is a hormone produced naturally in small quantities by most fruit and vegetables as they ripen. It has been used for many years as a means of controlling the ripening process in crops such as bananas. These unique properties have been discovered to naturally inhibit sprouting in potatoes. By carefully introducing controlled amounts of pure ethylene into a refrigerated potato store, the sprouting process can be delayed significantly.
No, extensive scientific evidence demonstrates at the concentrations maintained by biofresh systems, ethylene is not toxic or harmful to humans in any way.
There have never been any adverse affects on the quality of potatoes stored using the biofresh system. Our experience has led to the development of a robust treatment protocol that removes the chances of these problems arising and gives all of our customers peace of mind.
Your potatoes will be no more ‘lively’ than if they had been held untreated in long-term cold storage. Ethylene breaks the dormancy of the potatoes and they are held in that state for as long as they remain in store.
In natural light ethylene rapidly degrades into harmless components. So, once potatoes leave store no discernable residues remain on the crop.
Ethylene gas is available throughout the world from specialist gas manufacturers. Air Products are the leading supplier in Europe and carry stocks for immediate delivery.