date:Aug 03, 2016
The proverb one bad apple spoils the barrel is often times used to describe a person whos a bad influence, but it turns out to be true literally as well. Because one bad, overripe or moldy apple really can cause all the other apples around it to spoil. Ethylene gas, a naturally occurring gas that causes fruit to ripen, is to blame.
Riper pieces of fruit emit more ethylene than unripe fruits, leading to an over-concentration of the gas and signaling all the fruit around it to over-ripen as well.