Influence of caliper grade threshold and storage environment on the postharvest behaviour of Red Banana (AAA)

Abstract

Red Banana is one of the important traditional banana varieties with unique characteristics of reddishpurple skin colour, good flavour, taste, nutrients coupled with higher export value. The study was undertaken to standardize the harvest maturity and storage environment for the Red Banana to different market destinations. Different maturity level of (70%, 80%, 90% and 100%) Red Banana was harvested and then stored at cold temperature (13.5ºC±1ºC) and room temperature (28.5ºC±2ºC). The observations were recorded at 10 days interval during storage. The results revealed that 70% maturity (40-44 mm caliper), recorded shelf life of 72 to 77 days, whereas 80% maturity (44-48 mm caliper) maintained about 65-70 days, 90% maturity (48-52 mm caliper) was 57 to 62 days and 100% maturity (52-56 mm caliper) showed 32 to 40 days shelf life. At room temperature, Red Banana exhibited shelf life upto 18 days, 16 days, 14 days and 10 days at 70, 80, 90 and 100% maturity respectively. The chroma value, pulp to peel ratio, sugar and acidity increased with the maturity whereas the firmness and shelf life decreased. For export market, the fruits with 46-50 mm caliper with 80-90% maturity could be harvested to have the better shelf life without compromising on the bunch weight and quality. Low temperature storage of vacuum packaged banana could maximize the beneficial effects without impeding the sensory quality.