Effect of Evaporative Cooling on Colour and Quality Changes During Ripening of Grand Naine Banana

AbstractThe Grand Naine banana comes under Musa acuminata (AA) is one of the most commonly cultivated bananas where color development is an important feature during ripening which is used to determine the quality of fruit for marketing. As calcium carbide and direct contact of fruits with ripening agents was banned due to its hazardous health effects by FSSAI, a further method for utilizing ethylene gas to commence ripening is used. Temperature and exposure time of ethrel is essential for the quality and longevity in storage of the fruits. The postharvest study was laid out in a completely randomized design consisting of three treatments viz., T1 – air tight chamber; T2 – zero energy cool chamber; T3 - cold chamber with seven replications. The fruits were exposed to ethrel treatment in three distinct temperature-controlled chambers over 24 hours after which the fruits were stored at the ambient condition to study the ripening behaviour. The various observations on shelf-life parameters and biochemical attributes were taken on alternate days from the 2nd day after treatment to the 8th day of storage. The sensory assessment was conducted on the exact day of complete maturation of fruits. Based on the summary findings of the research, we found that the physiological and shelf-life parameters of fruits placed in zero energy cool chamber were found to be on par with that have been processed in cold chamber on the time of full maturity whereas the quality parameters were found to be preferable in fruits that have been handled in a zero-energy cool chamber in contrast to cold chamber. During banana harvest, zero energy cool chamber might be utilized as an alternative to a cold chamber for ripening operations in addition to the regular use of prolonging the durability of fruits and vegetables.