Effects of microwave intermittent drying on physicochemical properties, biochemical composition, and sensory profile of three banana cultivars

The consumption of bananas is highly appreciated for their nutritional value and distinctive sensory notes, but it is limited due to their low shelf life. Additionally, literature on the preservation of various banana cultivars is scarce. Thus, after microwave intermittent drying, an evaluation was conducted on three banana cultivars' physicochemical properties, biochemical composition, and sensory profile (Mas, Rastali, and Berangan). The microwave parameters applied for drying were as determined: 300 W and 10 s drying time with 50 s intermittent time for a sample mass of 3.42 ± 0.01 g and thickness of 5 mm. A comparison was carried out between the fresh and dried samples. Overall, dried Mas banana excels in most of the physicochemical properties and biochemical composition analyses, in which it has the highest color change, total soluble solids, ratio of total soluble solids and titratable acidity, total antioxidant content, total phenolic content, and total carotenoid content. However, panelists in our sensory survey indicated that dried Mas banana is the least favored, while dry Berangan and Rastali scored highly in terms of overall sensory preference.