ECONOMIC COST-EFFECTIVENES OF ETHYLENE CONSUMPTION IN THE TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESS OF BANANA RIPENING

Banana is a climacteric fruit that undergoes a ripening process in airtight chambers at a certain temperature, appropriate ethylene concentration, and the time it takes for the fruit to reach maturity level 4 on the ripening scale. For commercial purposes an ethylene concentration of 1000 ppm is used, and depending on other factors the concentration may vary. Through a research the best result has been achieved with an ethylene concentration of 900 ppm and the fruit exposure to 18C for a treatment period of 120 h. These parameters reduced costs by RSD 91.896,95 at annual level compared to the commercial concentration of ethylene, the quality of the fruit did not deteriorate greater efficiency in business has been achieved.