Ethylene Filters

Are OMRI Listed® products available to help remove ethylene from my processing facility?

By Doug Currier

Ethylene gas, a natural plant hormone, is biosynthesized naturally by many parts of a plant. It has multiple biological functions, which include stimulating fruit ripening. Ethylene production within a plant increases when stressors such as cutting or chilling occur during harvest and post-harvest handling. Where some organic growers purposefully add ethylene gas in post-harvest handling to ripen tropical fruits (which is permitted under 205.605(b)), other organic growers would like to remove naturally-produced ethylene gas to extend the shelf life of the harvested crop.

Currently, OMRI lists products formulated to remove ethylene gas from harvested crops under Processing, in the Packaging Materials category. Products listed in this category are “used to hold, transport, store, and contain organic food.”

Ethylene control products are reviewed as food contact substances, used to regulate ripening when placed inside product packaging. Food contact substances are materials that are not considered part of the food substance, and these materials have specific review standards. If an ethylene control product contacts food directly without the separation of packaging, the product would be reviewed to the standards outlined at 205.605 and 205.606. However, most are reviewed to standards outlined at 205.272(b)(1), as they are often marketed in packets or sachets that prevent direct contact with food.

Multiple ethylene filter products were found to be out of OMRI’s review scope, since the materials which absorb ethylene are housed in devices that do not contact food. Since the materials which control the atmosphere of the storage facility are removing a gas from the air, rather than adding a gas, there are no review standards currently available for such products.

Revised and updated in March 2017 by OMRI Technical Director Johanna Mirenda. This article was originally published in the Winter 2010 edition of the OMRI Materials Review newsletter.