Efficient ethylene degradation in storage bananas by Bi–Mn catalyst at room temperature

Abstract

There has been growing interest in removing ethylene (C2H4) from fresh fruit packaging to prevent its detrimental effects on fruit quality. Thus, creating innovative, efficient, and simple catalysts capable of degrading C2H4 at room temperature is imperative for fruit preservation. We demonstrated that the bismuth-manganese (Bi–Mn) catalysts, synthesized using the stepwise hydrothermal method, can degrade up to 40% of 50 ppm C2H4 in 6 h at room temperature. Doping with the Bi element resulted in an irregular broccoli-like catalyst with a specific surface area of up to 71.66 m2/g more surface Mn vacancies, a higher Mn3+/Mn4+ ratio, and increased oxygen adsorption capacity. The catalyst extended banana shelf life by 3–5 days, unprecedentedly maintaining the overall sensory quality at the desired level. The catalyst was effective in reducing ethylene production by 45.2% at 25 °C storage. Banana respiration rates were also effectively reduced by 17.2% and 38.2% after 5 days of storage. The catalyst efficiently controlled banana respiration and ripening during storage, offering an effective method for banana preservation and ripening.