PURPOSE:To provide a growth accelerating substance-removing agent capable of effectively removing horticultural crop growth-accelerating substance such as ethylene to maintain the freshness of horticultural crops by compounding a photo-semiconductor and a noble metal. CONSTITUTION:(A) A photo-semiconductor (preferably a metal oxide such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, tungsten trioxide or cerium oxide or a mixture thereof), (B) a noble metal (a metal such as gold, silver, copper or platinum) in an A/B weight ratio of 1-10000 are carried on a porous carrier such as active carbon or zeolite in an adsorbent/photo-semiconductor weight ratio of 0.01-10000 to prepare a horticultural crop growth-accelerating substance-removing agent. A horticultural crop growth-accelerating substance-containing gas to be treated is brought into contact with the removing agent under the irradiation of UV rays (preferably near ultraviolet rays having wavelengths of 400-200nm) to maintain the freshness of the horticultural crops.
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