JP3811151B2 - Aging process for fruits - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fruit ripening method, and more particularly to a banana ripening method.

  A typical example of a fruit that needs to be ripened when sold is a banana. Bananas are usually imported in an immature blue and hard state (ie, all green) for quarantine reasons. Banana ripening is started by stacking boxes filled with bananas into the processing chamber and introducing ethylene gas into the processing chamber. Thereafter, for several days, the temperature in the processing chamber is appropriately maintained, and the air in the processing chamber is forcedly circulated to cause aging. As a result, the banana peel turns yellow and the pulp becomes soft, so that a banana suitable for sale can be obtained. In addition to bananas, kiwifruit and avocado are aged in the same manner.

  In order to add an organic JAS mark to a fruit and call it an organic agricultural product, in addition to the organic cultivation of the fruit itself, it is required that no synthetic chemicals are used in the processing such as ripening. The As described above, ethylene gas is generally used for ripening bananas. The ethylene gas used for the aging process is usually a synthetic chemical substance. Therefore, even if it is an organically grown banana, if synthetic ethylene gas is used in the ripening process, the organic JAS mark cannot be attached and it cannot be called an organic farm product.

  In recent years, the demand for organic agricultural products is increasing, and organic bananas are also desired. However, as described above, most bananas are imported, and the imported bananas are always subjected to aging treatment, so it is difficult to sell the bananas with an organic JAS mark.

  However, there are no organic bananas, and some bananas are sold with an organic JAS mark. It is described that such ripening processing of banana was performed using alcohol. However, the aging process conditions differ between when alcohol is used and when ethylene gas is used. Therefore, it is not easy to carry out the aging process with alcohol using the processing chamber and the processing conditions that are generally used as they are.

  In order to age the banana using the processing chamber used so far, it is preferable to use ethylene gas. Moreover, if ethylene gas can be used also in the ripening processing of the organically grown banana, the know-how accumulated about ethylene gas until now can be applied as it is. Therefore, the inventors ripen fruits such as bananas on a commercial scale using natural ethylene gas in order to avoid the fact that it is impossible to label them as organic produce at the ripening stage. As a result of various investigations on the possibilities, the inventors have come up with the aging method of the present invention.

  The present invention provides a ripening processing method for collecting and taking out ethylene gas released from a banana during banana ripening, and using the collected ethylene gas to promote the ripening of another banana or a fruit other than a banana. . Banana releases ethylene gas from itself as its ripening progresses. The ethylene gas released from the banana is natural ethylene gas. Therefore, according to the method of the present invention, natural ethylene gas released from a banana is used to promote the ripening of another banana or fruit, so that the other banana or fruit is organically grown. In this case, an organic JAS mark can be attached to them. This processing method can also be regarded as one step performed in a method for producing a fruit that has been ripened to a desired degree. Therefore, a method processed by the method of the present invention can be regarded as a fruit manufactured by a manufacturing method including the method of the present invention.

  The present invention is also a method for extracting the ethylene gas released from the banana during ripening of the banana, injecting synthetic ethylene gas into the processing chamber to promote ripening of the banana, and after a predetermined time has elapsed since the ripening has progressed, After exhausting the synthetic ethylene gas in the processing chamber, the ethylene gas released by the banana is stored in the processing chamber, and the stored ethylene gas is put into a container using an appropriate device (for example, an electric pump, a blower, or a compressor). Provides a method of retrieving by collecting. According to this method, the ethylene gas released from the banana can be stored while being collected in the container, and the ethylene gas released from the banana can be easily moved while being collected in the container. Furthermore, by opening the container, the ethylene gas in the container can be easily released at a desired location.

  The present invention is characterized by initiating ripening of bananas or other fruits using natural ethylene gas generated from ripening bananas. That is, the present invention is characterized in that natural ethylene gas is used instead of synthetic ethylene gas in the aging process. Therefore, according to the present invention, fruits such as organically grown bananas and kiwi fruits can be aged so that they can be distributed as organic agricultural products that meet the standards defined by JAS. In addition, since the type of gas used in the aging processing method of the present invention is ethylene gas as in the conventional case, the aging processing method of the present invention uses the conventional aging processing chamber to convert the conventional synthetic ethylene gas. It can be carried out under the same or similar conditions as the aging process conditions used. Therefore, the aging processing method of the present invention also has an advantage that it can be carried out by applying knowledge related to aging processing using ethylene gas accumulated so far.

  Moreover, this invention provides the method of taking out the natural ethylene gas generated from the banana in a container useful for implementing the ripening processing method of this invention. According to this extraction method, ethylene gas generated from the banana can be collected at a high concentration. The ethylene gas taken out by this method is easy to store and move. Furthermore, after the ethylene gas is taken out by this method, the banana can be further aged so that the banana can be distributed as a product. According to this method, the ethylene gas can be taken out without wasting the banana. Can do.

The fruit ripening method of the present invention comprises:
(1) taking out ethylene gas generated from ripening bananas;
(2) including putting the fruit to be ripened into the processing chamber a, and (3) injecting the taken-out ethylene gas into the processing chamber a. In the above, “processing chamber a” refers to a processing chamber for processing fruits that are ripened and processed by the method of the present invention. Here, the symbol “a” is used to distinguish from the processing chamber b in which the banana is aged in order to generate ethylene gas from the banana as described later. The processing chamber a may be the same as the processing chamber b. In other words, ripen bananas in a certain processing room and take out ethylene gas, then further ripen the bananas as necessary, then take out the bananas, and then put the fruit to be ripened into the processing room. The aging process of the invention may be carried out. Alternatively, the processing chamber a and the processing chamber b may be different processing chambers.

  First, a method for taking out ethylene gas generated from ripening bananas (that is, step (1) above) will be described. Banana has the property of generating ethylene gas during ripening. It is an important feature of the present invention that ethylene gas is taken out by utilizing the property, and the taken-out ethylene gas is used for ripening processing of fruits (particularly organically grown fruits).

  Banana ripening is started by putting banana into the processing chamber b and injecting industrial ethylene gas (ie, synthetic ethylene gas). The processing chamber b is configured to be able to store ethylene gas generated from the banana. In order to increase the amount of ethylene gas generated from the banana, the processing chamber b preferably has a configuration that forms a sealed space. However, the processing chamber b does not necessarily need to form a sealed space. Even if the processing chamber b has an opening (for example, an exhaust port) through which ethylene gas partially flows out, the outflow amount is smaller than the generated amount. If it is small, there may be such an opening. The processing chamber b generally has an openable / closable opening (for example, a door) for taking in and out of the banana. Furthermore, a fan for circulating the gas in the processing chamber is provided in the processing chamber b. The size of the processing chamber b can be set arbitrarily as long as the banana in the processing chamber is uniformly aged. Specifically, it is preferable that the processing chamber b forms a space having a frontage of 3 to 5 m, a depth of 4 to 10 m, and a height of 3 to 5 m. If the volume of the space is small, the number of bananas that can be accommodated in the interior is reduced, which is disadvantageous in that the amount of generated ethylene gas is reduced accordingly. If the volume of the space is large, the ripening degree may vary depending on the location where the bananas are placed, the uniform aging process cannot be performed, and the banana used for taking out the ethylene gas cannot be distributed as a product is there. If necessary, the processing chamber b may be provided with an openable and closable air discharge port in order to quickly discharge the industrial ethylene gas. The processing chamber b is not limited to a specific configuration and size as long as ethylene gas can be stored and the ethylene gas can be taken out. For example, the processing chamber b may be a differential pressure processing chamber. Good. In the present invention, in particular, a corn-roaming processing chamber is preferably used for storing ethylene gas.

  Before injecting the industrial ethylene gas, water is sprayed into the processing chamber b using a power sprinkler so that the humidity in the processing chamber b becomes a desired value (specifically, 90 to 100% RH). It's okay. Watering is performed so that a predetermined amount of water is evenly distributed according to the dimensions of the processing chamber b and the desired humidity. Furthermore, it is preferable to cool or heat the inside of the processing chamber b so that the temperature in the processing chamber b becomes a temperature suitable for the start of the aging process (about 21 to about 22 ° C.).

  It is preferable to inject | pour industrial ethylene gas so that the density | concentration in the processing chamber b may be 200-500 ppm, and it is more preferable to inject | pour so that it may become 300-500 ppm. As used herein, “industrial ethylene gas” refers to ethylene gas that is sold for ripening of bananas and filled in a can with a sprayer (for example, banana ethylene (trade name) sold by Iwatani Corporation) ) Is also included. If the concentration of ethylene gas is too low, ripening will not be promoted. If the concentration is too high, the fruit stem will be weak and the fruit neck will break easily, and a large amount of industrial ethylene gas will be used. Is not economical.

  When about 24 hours (about a full day) have elapsed after injecting industrial ethylene gas, ripening of the banana proceeds and ethylene gas begins to be generated from the banana. As described above, in order to distribute organically cultivated fruits as organic agricultural products, it is necessary to extract only ethylene gas generated from bananas (that is, natural ethylene gas) and use it for aging. Therefore, when ethylene gas starts to be generated from the banana, the inside of the processing chamber b is ventilated, and the industrial ethylene gas existing in the processing chamber b is discharged. After the discharge, the ethylene gas existing in the processing chamber b is discharged. Make sure that only the bananas are released. The industrial ethylene gas can be discharged from the processing chamber b by opening the opening for taking in and out the banana while operating the fan. A ventilation method for forcibly blowing air into the processing chamber b with a fan may be used in parallel with the fan operation or instead of the fan operation. Alternatively, by moving the banana into another processing chamber b ′ not containing industrial ethylene gas, the ethylene gas generated from the banana can be stored in the processing chamber b ′ so as not to coexist with the industrial ethylene gas. it can. However, from the viewpoint of time and labor, it is preferable to continue the aging process without changing the processing chamber (that is, without moving the banana).

  Ventilation of the processing chamber b is preferably performed after 24 to 36 hours have elapsed since the injection of industrial ethylene gas was completed. Further, the industrial ethylene gas discharge depends on the size of the processing chamber b, the size of the opening for taking in and out the banana, and the capacity of the fan, but the processing chamber b has the above-mentioned range of opening, depth, and height. In some cases, the discharge of industrial ethylene gas can be completed in 3 to 5 minutes. Whether or not the discharge of industrial ethylene gas is completed can be confirmed by the Kitagawa type ethylene detector tube A type or B type. More specifically, the gas sampled from the processing chamber b is in a state where almost no concentration can be detected with the Kitagawa type ethylene detector tube A type, or a concentration of about 5 ppm can be detected with the Kitagawa type ethylene detector tube type B. It can be assumed that ethylene gas was discharged. Since ethylene gas continues to be generated from the banana in the processing chamber b while industrial ethylene gas is being discharged, an ethylene concentration of about 5 ppm is inevitably detected. Both Kitagawa type ethylene gas detector tubes A and B are sold by Komyo Chemical Co., Ltd.

  After the discharge of the industrial ethylene gas is completed, the banana is held in the processing chamber b and the ripening is advanced, and the ethylene gas generated from the ripening banana is stored in the processing chamber b. In order to store more ethylene gas in the processing chamber b, the processing chamber b is preferably sealed. The banana releases the largest amount of ethylene gas after about 36 hours have passed since the start of the ripening process, so the banana is held in the processing chamber b for 12 to 18 hours after the discharge of industrial ethylene gas is completed. Thus, it is preferable to store ethylene gas generated from the banana. When the banana is held in the processing chamber b, the temperature and humidity in the processing chamber b are adjusted so that the banana ripens while generating ethylene. Specifically, it is preferable to hold the banana in the processing chamber b while maintaining the temperature in the processing chamber b at 17 to 20 ° C. and the humidity at 90% RH or higher.

  After the ethylene gas generated from the banana is stored in the processing chamber b, the stored ethylene gas is taken out from the processing chamber b and used for aging processing of other bananas or fruits to be ripened. The removal of ethylene gas from the processing chamber b means that, for example, the processing chamber a containing other bananas or fruits to be aged and the processing chamber b are connected by a pipe, and the gas in the processing chamber b is pumped or blower or the like It may be carried out by forcibly sending it to the processing chamber a. Alternatively, taking out ethylene gas from the processing chamber b can be achieved by connecting the processing chamber b and the processing chamber a via a partition plate, removing the partition plate in a state where the processing chamber a is decompressed more than the processing chamber b, You may implement by diffusing the gas in the chamber b to the processing chamber a. According to these methods, the ethylene gas is taken out from the processing chamber b and the taken-out ethylene gas is injected into the processing chamber a almost simultaneously.

  Alternatively, the ethylene gas generated from the banana can also be taken out by arranging a container in the processing chamber b and enclosing and collecting the gas in the processing chamber b in the container. The enclosure of the gas into the container can be performed using any device such as a blower, a pump (preferably an electric pump), or a compressor. Gas may be compressed and sealed in the container. The gas collected in the container is an atmospheric gas containing carbon dioxide released by banana breathing and other components (oxygen, nitrogen, etc.) contained in the air in addition to the ethylene gas released from the banana. According to this method, the ethylene gas generated from the banana can be easily moved from the processing chamber b to another processing chamber a by carrying the container filled with gas. The ethylene gas in the container may be injected into the processing chamber a by disposing the container in the processing chamber a and opening the container to release the gas in the container. The container is opened by, for example, removing the stopper from the air discharge port that is closed with the stopper when gas is sealed. Alternatively, when the electric pump used for sealing is used, the ethylene gas in the container can be injected into the processing chamber a by reversely operating the pump. Alternatively, if possible, inject ethylene gas into the processing chamber a by connecting the container and the processing chamber a with a hose or pipe and forcibly discharging the gas in the container using a pump or blower. You can also

  The container for collecting the ethylene gas generated from the banana is specifically an airtight bag-like material made of a polymer sheet equipped with a blower or a pump, and more specifically, the gas is electrically supplied. Such as an air bed provided with a supplying device (for example, a blower, a pump or a compressor). More preferably, the device for supplying air by electricity can be operated remotely. If this apparatus can be remotely operated by wireless or a remote controller with a wire, after the container is placed inside the processing chamber b, the gas in the processing chamber b can be transferred to the container so that the amount of gas flowing out of the processing chamber b is reduced. Since it can be sealed, more ethylene gas can be sealed in the container. When using a remote controller with a wire, it is preferable to provide a hole for allowing the wire to pass through the door, for example, so that the sealing of the processing chamber b is as high as possible. When the wire is thin, the gap between the door and the main body is preferable. Just pass the wire through. Air beds that enclose and discharge air by remote control are commercially available, and the present invention can be implemented simply and efficiently by using such air beds.

  When the gas containing ethylene gas generated from the banana is sealed in the container, it is preferable that the container is filled with the gas by a plurality of operations without filling the container with the gas at once. More specifically, when it is assumed that a bag-like container is used, a device for supplying gas to the container (for example, a blower or an electric pump) is operated 3 to 4 times at intervals of 5 minutes or more. Thus, it is preferable that the bag-like material is in a fully expanded state (that is, in a state where it does not expand further). When sealing is performed by a plurality of operations at intervals, the concentration of ethylene gas in the container can be increased.

  When the volume of the container is smaller than the volume of the empty space in the processing chamber b and / or when ethylene gas is still generated from the banana after the ethylene gas is sealed in the container, more natural ethylene gas is used. In order to take out, it is preferable to use a plurality of containers. Specifically, a plurality of containers may be placed in the processing chamber b, and gas may be sealed in all the containers at the same time, or gas may be sequentially sealed in the containers at intervals. Or after putting one container and enclosing ethylene gas in a container, the said container may be taken out, another container may be put, and ethylene gas may be enclosed in the said another container. Such repeated loading / unloading of the container is performed, for example, when the space in the processing chamber is narrow and a plurality of containers cannot be placed simultaneously. The number of containers is not particularly limited as long as ethylene gas can be taken out, and is arbitrarily selected according to the volume of the container, the volume of the processing chamber b, the number of bananas to be aged in the processing chamber b, and the like.

  A container opens the door for taking in / out of a banana, and is arrange | positioned in the processing chamber b from there. At this time, it is preferable to quickly open and close the door so that the amount of ethylene gas stored in the processing chamber b leaks to the outside as much as possible. Since ethylene gas is heavier than air, it is preferable to attach a plate-like member to the lower side of the door to reduce the leakage amount of ethylene gas. When the door is opened and closed, the amount of leakage of ethylene gas can be reduced by forming an air flow like an air curtain in the opening of the door. Alternatively, if possible, it is preferable to separately provide an openable / closable opening having a size necessary for loading and unloading the container in the processing chamber b in order to reduce the leakage amount of ethylene gas.

  The natural ethylene gas taken out in this way is injected into the processing chamber a as already mentioned. When natural ethylene gas is injected into the processing chamber a, the processing chamber a contains a fruit to be ripened (for example, an all-green banana). Before injecting natural ethylene gas, it is preferable to set the temperature and humidity in the processing chamber a to desired values. Since the method of adjusting the temperature and humidity in the processing chamber a is as described above in relation to putting a banana in the processing chamber b, the description thereof is omitted here. When ripening fruits other than bananas, the temperature and humidity in the processing chamber a must be suitable for each fruit. For example, when ripening kiwifruit, the temperature in the processing chamber a is preferably 17 ° C. to 18 ° C., and the humidity is preferably 90% RH or higher.

  The fruit ripened in the processing chamber a is preferably an organically grown fruit, and particularly preferably an organically grown banana. By carrying out the ripening processing method of the present invention, although it is a fruit cultivated by organic farming, synthetic ethylene gas was used in the ripening processing stage, so that it could not be legally labeled as an organic farm product. The organic JAS mark can be attached without any problem. Moreover, it is preferable that the banana matured by the method of the present invention is an organically grown banana that has not been fumigated with cyanuric acid gas. This is because the banana fumigated with the cyanide gas can no longer be called an organic agricultural product as defined by JAS when it is treated with the cyanide gas that is a synthetic substance. Fruits other than bananas suitable for ripening by the method of the present invention are kiwifruit and avocado.

  When processing the banana, the processing chamber a preferably has dimensions of a frontage 3 to 5 m, a depth 4 to 10 m, and a height 3 to 5 m, like the processing chamber b. When the processing chamber a is larger than the processing chamber b, the amount of ethylene gas taken out by carrying out the aging process once in the processing chamber b (if the processing chamber a is divided into a plurality of containers, the ethylene gas in each container The sum of the amounts may not be sufficient to promote ripening of the bananas placed in the processing chamber a. The amount of natural ethylene gas used is natural ethylene gas that is extracted from the processing chamber b after ripening the banana multiple times, or is extracted from the processing chamber b after aging the banana. It can be adjusted by using part of the gas. In order to efficiently perform the aging process in the processing chamber a, it is preferable to use natural ethylene gas extracted in one aging process in one aging process.

  The processing chamber a is preferably a hermetic corn-brick stacking processing chamber having an openable / closable opening for taking in and out bananas and a fan installed therein. In the processing chamber a having such a structure, the ethylene gas sealed in the container can be easily released and injected. However, the structure of the processing chamber can be arbitrary as long as natural ethylene gas taken out from the processing chamber b can be injected, and the processing chamber a may be a so-called differential pressure type processing chamber.

  A specific method for injecting natural ethylene gas into the processing chamber a is as described in connection with the method for taking out natural ethylene gas from the processing chamber b. Therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted here. However, when ripening the banana in the processing chamber a, the natural ethylene gas injected into the processing chamber a may be in an amount such that the concentration in the processing chamber a is about 5 to 10 ppm. Even in such an amount, if the aging time is increased, the aging can be sufficiently advanced. Since natural ethylene gas is usually difficult to extract in large quantities, it is a very advantageous feature of the present invention that the aging process in the processing chamber a can be carried out at a low initial ethylene gas concentration.

  The aging process in the processing chamber a is performed by appropriately controlling the temperature, humidity, and ventilation according to the type and amount of the fruit put in the processing chamber a and the concentration of natural ethylene gas. The ripening process is carried out until the ripeness of the fruit is as desired.

  For example, as described above, when ripening a banana by setting the natural ethylene gas concentration first injected into the processing chamber a to about 5 to 10 ppm, the respiration of the banana increases and the amount of ethylene gas generated from the banana increases. After injection of natural ethylene gas, it is necessary to set the temperature in the processing chamber a to 21 ° C. to 22 ° C. and to keep the processing chamber a substantially sealed for about 36 to about 54 hours. is there. Thereafter, the inside of the processing chamber a is ventilated, the temperature in the processing chamber a is set to 17 to 18 ° C., the aging process is performed for 8 to 12 hours, and then the temperature in the processing chamber a is set to 15 to 16 ° C. Aging is carried out for 12-18 hours. Meanwhile, the processing chamber a is in a substantially sealed state, but is appropriately ventilated as necessary. When controlling temperature, humidity and ventilation, it is necessary to consider the shipping time.

  Among the ripening processing methods of the present invention described above, the step of taking out ethylene gas generated from the ripening banana may be performed regardless of the aging processing method of the present invention. That is, the ethylene gas extraction step described above is preferably employed as a method for extracting natural ethylene gas when it is necessary to use natural ethylene gas for purposes other than fruit ripening. Therefore, the method described above can also be specified as a method for extracting ethylene gas generated from the banana when the banana is ripened in the processing chamber X (processing chamber a and b are not related). It is.

Moreover, in the process of taking out the ethylene gas generated from the ripening banana as described above, the aging process of the banana was started using industrial ethylene gas, but using the natural ethylene gas taken out in the above process, Aging process may be started. In that case, a process corresponding to the process of discharging industrial ethylene gas is not required. Therefore, in that case, after injecting natural ethylene gas into the processing chamber b (or processing chamber X), if necessary, ventilate to expel CO ₂ generated by banana breathing and take in O _2. In addition, while replenishing moisture as necessary to maintain the desired humidity, ripening of the banana proceeds in the processing chamber b (or processing chamber X), and ethylene gas is released from the banana, thereby processing After further increasing the concentration of ethylene gas in the chamber, natural ethylene gas is taken out. Natural ethylene gas injected into the processing chamber b (or processing chamber X) is not limited to those generated from bananas, and may be ethylene gas generated from fruits or plants other than bananas.

  The banana put in the processing chamber b (or processing chamber X) can be circulated as a normal banana by continuing the aging process after taking out natural ethylene gas. As described above, the aging method of the present invention usually takes out ethylene gas generated in normal banana ripening processing and uses it for ripening of other fruits, particularly ripening processing of organically grown bananas. There is no waste in that it allows ripening of both bananas and other fruits. Alternatively, the banana to be ripened in the processing chamber b (or processing chamber X) may be taken out as a defective banana when selected before or during the aging process. In that case, the defective banana can be effectively used to take out ethylene gas before being discarded.

  An example in which an organically grown banana is aged according to the aging method of the present invention will be described.

(1) Extraction process of ethylene gas generated from bananas Inside the processing chamber b of the corn-roof-brick stacking method so that the bottom of another box does not contact the top of the box packed with all-green bananas I put them in bricks (chambered). The processing chamber b had a frontage of 4.2 m, a depth of 6.3 m, and a height of 3.4 m. The inside of the processing chamber b is substantially sealed by closing the door for taking in and out the banana. In this processing chamber b, 357 boxes filled with about 13 kg of bananas were stacked.

  The operation of two fans (each having a diameter of about 40 cm) installed at one place was started, and the temperature in the processing chamber b was adjusted to 21 ° C. In addition, water was sprayed into the processing chamber b for 3 minutes with a power sprinkler so that the humidity in the processing chamber b was 93% RH. The door (horizontal 1.1 m × vertical 2.1 m) of the processing chamber b was closed, and industrial ethylene gas was injected into the processing chamber b so as to be about 300 ppm.

  After injecting industrial ethylene gas, when about 28 hours passed, the door was opened, ventilated, and industrial ethylene gas in the processing chamber b was discharged. At this time, the fan was left running. Ventilation was performed with the door open for about 3 minutes.

  After the ventilation was completed, the door was closed and the temperature in the processing chamber b was adjusted to 17 ° C., and ethylene gas generated from the banana, that is, natural ethylene gas was stored in the processing chamber b. Carbon dioxide was also released from the banana at the same time, and this was also stored in the processing chamber b together with ethylene gas.

  When about 15 hours have passed since the beginning of storing ethylene gas generated from bananas, the fan was stopped, the door was opened, and a commercially available remote control air bed (width 1370 mm x length 1880 mm x height 430 mm, Yamazen )) Was placed in the processing chamber b, and the door was closed again. The remote control air bed was placed quickly so that the door opening time was as short as possible (about 10 seconds). The operation of the fan was resumed and the operation was continued for 5 minutes or longer. Then, the electric pump of the air bed was operated using the remote controller, and the atmosphere gas in the processing chamber b was put into the air bed. Here, gas was sealed in the air bed so that the air bed was completely expanded by operating the electric pump three times at intervals of 5 minutes. Then, the air bed filled with gas was taken out from the processing chamber b. The gas sealed in the air bed contained ethylene gas at a concentration of about 100 ppm, and also contained carbon dioxide and the like. After taking out the air bed filled with gas from the processing chamber b, prepare another air bed and fill the air bed with the atmospheric gas in the processing chamber b in the same way to process the air bed. Removed from chamber b. Thus, two air beds filled with ethylene gas were obtained in one aging process.

(2) Putting organically grown banana into processing room a All green organically grown bananas were put into the processing room a of the corn-roof brick stacking system. Organically grown bananas were vacuum packed and boxed. The bag of the vacuum pack coming out from the opening on the top surface of the box was opened with a sickle, and was placed in the processing chamber a in a brick shape so that the bottom of the other box did not contact the opening. The processing chamber a had a frontage of 3.7 m, a depth of 5.0 m, and a height of 3.5 m. In the processing chamber a, 65 boxes filled with about 13 kg of bananas were stacked. Further, in the processing chamber a, a 1.1 m × 2.3 m door was provided for taking in and out bananas. By closing this door, the inside of the processing chamber a was substantially sealed.

  The operation of two fans (each having a diameter of about 40 cm) installed at one place was started, and the temperature in the processing chamber a was adjusted to 21 ° C. Further, water was sprayed into the processing chamber a for 3 minutes with a power sprinkler so that the humidity in the processing chamber a was 93% RH.

(3) Injection of natural ethylene gas into the processing chamber a The operation of the fan is stopped, and two air beds filled with gas in the step (2) are arranged in the processing chamber a, and the air exhaust of the air bed is performed. The valve and cap that blocked the outlet were removed, and the natural ethylene gas in the air bed was released into the processing chamber a. At this time, since the gas in the air bed was released vigorously from the air outlet, in order to reduce the leakage of natural ethylene gas to the outside, the operator should remove the cap immediately (specifically (Within about 5 seconds), exited from the processing chamber a and closed the door. At this time, the concentration of natural ethylene gas in the processing chamber a was about 5 ppm. Thereafter, the operation of the fan is restarted, and the temperature in the processing chamber a is controlled so that the temperature in the processing chamber a exceeds 21 ° C. but does not exceed 22 ° C. in a state where the processing chamber a is substantially sealed. However, about 33 hours were allowed to elapse. Next, the fan is turned off, the door of the processing chamber a is opened, and water is sprayed for 2-3 minutes with a power sprayer so that the humidity in the processing chamber a is maintained at 93% RH. The chamber a was substantially sealed, the operation of the fan was resumed, and about 14 hours were allowed to pass while controlling the temperature so that the temperature in the processing chamber a was maintained at 20.5 ° C. In this way, the door was slightly opened for watering in the middle, but after keeping the processing chamber a sealed for a total of about 47 hours, ventilation was performed, and then the temperature in the processing chamber a was lowered. Then, while controlling the temperature so that the temperature in the processing chamber a is maintained at 17 ° C., the processing chamber a is kept in a substantially sealed state for about 8 hours, and then the door is opened while the fan is operated. At the same time, sprinkle water for 2-3 minutes with a power sprinkler, then lower the temperature of the processing chamber a, and control the temperature so that the temperature in the processing chamber a is kept at 15 ° C. An organically grown banana was aged by allowing a to pass for about 17 hours in a substantially sealed state. The banana after the aging process was taken out from the processing chamber a and stored at a temperature of 13.5 ° C. to 14 ° C. until shipment. The banana after ripening is sufficient to be distributed as a product in all respects, such as color, gloss, and softness of the pulp, and ripening further proceeds until it reaches the store after shipping. It had a taste and flavor suitable for eating. This shows that natural ethylene gas generated from bananas has the ability to promote ripening of bananas, similar to industrial ethylene gas.

The fruit ripening processing method of the present invention is characterized in that the ripening processing of the fruit is started using ethylene gas generated during the ripening of the banana, so that the fruit is an organically grown fruit. In some cases, the ripened fruit can be distributed as an organic farm product.

Claims (5)

(1) removing ethylene gas generated from ripening bananas;
(2) A method for ripening fruit, comprising putting the fruit to be ripened into the processing chamber a, and (3) injecting the taken-out ethylene gas into the processing chamber a.   The method according to claim 1, wherein the fruit to be aged is a banana. Taking out the ethylene gas generated from aging bananas,
(A) Putting a banana in the processing chamber b and injecting industrial ethylene gas into the processing chamber b,
(B) 24 to 36 hours after injecting the industrial ethylene gas, venting the processing chamber b to exhaust the injected industrial ethylene gas, and (C) exhausting the industrial ethylene gas, By holding the banana in the processing chamber b for 12 to 18 hours so that the ripening of the banana proceeds, the ethylene gas generated from the banana is stored in the processing chamber b, and (D) it is stored in the processing chamber b. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is carried out by a method comprising removing a gas containing ethylene gas generated from a banana. Taking out the ethylene gas generated from aging bananas,
(I) Put a banana in the processing chamber b and inject natural ethylene gas into the processing chamber b;
(II) By storing the banana in the processing chamber b for 36 to 54 hours so that ripening of the banana proceeds, the ethylene gas generated from the banana is stored in the processing chamber b, and (III) in the processing chamber b The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the method is carried out by a method comprising taking out gas containing ethylene gas generated from bananas stored in the banana. Taking out the gas containing ethylene gas generated from the banana stored in the processing chamber b is carried out by enclosing the gas in the processing chamber b in a container arranged in the processing chamber b, The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein injecting the taken-out ethylene gas into the processing chamber a is performed by discharging the gas in the container into the processing chamber a.