Ethylene, a gas, also known as the “fruit-ripening hormone.” It is a fruit hormone, released as a gas by fruits and vegetables as the produce is maturing. Every fruit has a certain level of ethylene production throughout its lifecycle. Exposure of fruit and vegetables to even small amounts of this ethylene gas will cause accelerated ripening, spoilage, decay, resulting change in texture (softening), colour and other processes. Hence the phrase “One rotten apple spoils the whole box”