Reduction of energy usage during storage and transport of bananas by management of exogenous ethylene levels

Unripe Australian-grown Cavendish and Lady Finger bananas were stored at 15, 20 and 25 °C in an atmosphere containing 0.001, 0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 μL/L ethylene in air and the green life was determined as the time to reach the respiratory climacteric. As expected, green life increased as the temperature and ethylene concentration decreased. The equation describing the relationship between temperature, ethylene concentration and green life of Cavendish bananas was applied to a five-day 3000 km road transport route from the major tropical production area to the major urban markets. It predicted that bananas transported in the prevailing mean summer temperature of 25 °C would not require refrigeration if the ethylene level did not exceed 0.58 μL/L while transport at the mean winter temperature of 14 °C fruit could withstand a level of about 0.90 μL/L without ripening en route. The equation was also applied to a shipment protocol of 19 days for bananas exported from Central America to southern Europe. This predicted that fruit could be transported without refrigeration if ethylene levels were maintained at 0.04 μL/L during the winter temperature of 17 °C and at 0.002 μL/L at the summer transport temperature of 24 °C. Since a range of technologies are available to maintain such low ethylene levels or reduce the action of ethylene, these findings suggest that the current refrigerated transport of bananas could be minimised or eliminated. The use of higher temperatures in the supply chain would reduce energy consumption with resultant environmental and economic benefits.