The Ethylene Gas Phenomenon

October 24, 2023

Ethylene gas can cause damage to leafy vegetables even in small amounts. Products sensitive to ethylene gas like broccoli and bananas should not be stored with ethylene producers like avocados and apples. To maintain freshness, a list of foods that produce and are damaged by ethylene gas has been created.

That’s the good news. The bad news is it can cause damage to leafy vegetables in even very low quantities. For example, when lettuce is exposed to small amounts of ethylene gas at low temperatures, the product will decay.

Products such as broccoli and bananas, which are sensitive to ethylene gas, should never be stored in the same areas as avocados, melons, and apples, which are ethylene producers.

We have created a list of food items that create ethylene gas and the ones that are damaged by it to help you separate them and keep your produce looking and tasting fresher!

Foods that create ethylene gas:

Apples
Apricots
Avocados
Bananas (ripening)
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cherimoya
Citrus Fruits (except Grapefruit)
Cranberries
Figs
Guavas
Grapes
Green Onions
Honeydew
Kiwi fruit (ripe)
Mammee
Mangoes
Mango steen
Melons
Mushrooms
Nectarines
Okra
Papayas
Passion Fruit
Peaches
Pears
Peppers
Persimmons
Pineapple
Plantains
Plums
Prunes
Quinces
Rambutan
Tomatoes
Watermelon.

Foods that are damaged by Ethylene Gas:

Asparagus
Belgian
Endive
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Chard
Cucumbers
Cut Flowers
Eggplant
Escarole
Florist Greens
Green Beans
Kale
Kiwi fruit
Leafy Greens
Lettuce
Parsley
Peas
Peppers
Potatoes
Potted Plants
Romaine
Spinach
Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Watercress
Yams.

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