Rotating interference filter spectrometer for the detection of ethylene in the ripening process of climacteric fruit

Ethylene (C₂H₄) is the most important phytohormone in the ripening process of climacteric fruit. The stage of fruit ripening is linked to an increased ethylene production. Thus the ethylene concentration can be used for the monitoring of the ripening state. This allows the implementation of advanced food supply chains which e.g. may depend on the first-expired-first-out process. This paper reports the recent progress of a rotating interference filter spectrometer for the detection of ethylene in the climacteric ripening phase of climacteric fruit. The detection limit could be improved by a factor of ~15 down to 2 ppm in comparison to classical systems. At the same time the resilience towards environmental factors like temperature changes could be improved due to the inner band referencing of the filter rotation approach.