<![CDATA[ Zeolite is an adsorbent media capable of adsorbing liquid solutions such as KMnO₄, which acts as an ethylene oxidizer to delay fruit ripening. This study aimed to determine the best adsorbent interaction to delay the ripening of California papaya, examine the influence of zeolite particle size and activation duration, and identify the optimal treatment to maintain fruit quality for up to 10 days of storage. A two-factor Randomized Block Design (RBD) was used, with the first factor being zeolite size (60 mesh and 80 mesh) and the second factor being chemical activation duration (25, 30, and 35 minutes). The results showed that the KMnO₄-zeolite adsorbent effectively delayed papaya ripening, indicated by changes in the fruit and the adsorbent color from purple to brown. Treatment interactions significantly affected fruit texture, total dissolved solids, weight loss, color, and shelf life. The best treatment was obtained with 80 mesh zeolite activated for 25 minutes with KMnO₄, producing fruit with a texture of 49.43 N, total dissolved solids of 10.79°Brix, weight loss of 1.26%, L* color value of 36.58, a* of -10.41, and b* of 31.09.]]>
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