Abstract
Ethylene, a plant hormone, is a gas that plays a crucial role in fruit ripening and senescence. In this work, a novel ethylene scavenger was prepared from amorphous silica-alumina derived from sugar cane bagasse ash (SC-ASA) and used to prolong the shelf life of mango fruits during storage. KMnO(4) at 2, 4, or 6 wt %/w was loaded on SC-ASA using an impregnation method. The results showed that 4% w/w KMnO(4) loaded on SC-ASA (4KM/SC-ASA) was superior for ethylene removal at an initial ethylene concentration of 400 μL L(-1) for 120 min under ambient conditions (25-27 °C and 70-75% relative humidity), resulting in 100% ethylene removal. The kinetic study of ethylene removal showed that the adsorption data were best fitted with a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The effects of 4KM/SC-ASA as sachets on the quality changes of the mango fruits were investigated, with the results showing that mango fruits packed in cardboard boxes with 4KM/SC-ASA had significantly delayed ripening, low levels of ethylene production, respiration, and weight loss, high fruit firmness, low total soluble solids, and high acidity compared to those of the control treatment. These findings should contribute to developing an ethylene scavenger to extend the shelf life of fruits, reduce the waste of the sugar and ethanol industries, and make it a valuable material.