– Monitoring and controlling of fruit freshness by the prototype with easy handling –
Researchers) KOGA Kenji, Senior Researcher, Electron Microscopy Group, Nanomaterials Research Institute, HONG Dachao, Senior Researcher, Innovative Oxidation Team, Interdisciplinary Research Center for Catalytic Chemistry
- AIST developed a prototype of portable ethylene sensor unit, and its rental starts on October 2021
- Sensor selectively detects ethylene from fresh produce
- It tells us the best timing to eat fresh produce, and contributes to reduction of food waste
Prototype ethylene sensor
Fresh produce like fruits and vegetables continues to breathe and generate various plant hormones even after harvest. Among these, gaseous ethylene acts to promote the maturation and aging of fruits and vegetables, and the amount generated, and the degree of effect differ according to the type of fresh produce. For this reason, monitoring of ethylene concentrations is important such as for storage in warehouses and adjustment of shipping timing by ripening of fruits, and is directly linked to indication of the best timing to eat fresh produce and reduction of food waste. However, until now there was no small and inexpensive sensor device capable of selectively measuring ethylene.
AIST developed a prototype sensor that selectively detected the plant hormone ethylene in collaboration with the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS). Ethylene gas concentration is a key parameter to quality control of fresh produce during storage and logistics. This portable prototype provides simple operation for measuring ethylene based on a novel detection method.