Potassium Permanganate-Impregnated Amorphous Silica-Alumina Derived from Sugar Cane Bagasse Ash as an Ethylene Scavenger for Extending Shelf Life of Mango Fruits

Napassorn Chanka; Waleeporn Donphai; Metta Chareonpanich; Kajornsak Faungnawakij; Günther Rupprechter; Anusorn Seubsai

doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c08119

Potassium Permanganate-Impregnated Amorphous Silica-Alumina Derived from Sugar Cane Bagasse Ash as an Ethylene Scavenger for Extending Shelf Life of Mango Fruits

ACS Omega. 2024 Feb 2;9(6):6749-6760. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08119. eCollection 2024 Feb 13.

Authors

Napassorn Chanka¹, Waleeporn Donphai¹, Metta Chareonpanich^{1

2}, Kajornsak Faungnawakij³, Günther Rupprechter⁴, Anusorn Seubsai^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand.
² Center of Excellence on Petrochemical and Materials Technology, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand.
³ National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum, Thani 12120, Thailand.
⁴ Institute of Materials Chemistry, Technische Universität Wien, Getreidemarkt 9/BC, Vienna 1060, Austria.

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. KMnO₄ at 2, 4, or 6 wt %/w was loaded on SC-ASA using an impregnation method. The results showed that 4% w/w KMnO₄ 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.