Effect of a Designed Coating on the Physicochemical Properties of Banana (<em>Musa paradisiaca</em>) During Storage
Listed in
This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.Abstract
Banana is one of Ecuador’s primary export fruits, globally recognized for its high quality. Its scientific name is Musa paradisiaca, and it is widely consumed due to its nutritional value. However, postharvest preservation presents a significant challenge, mainly due to the accelerated ripening and deterioration processes that occur during storage and transportation. In this study, the effect of edible coatings formulated with whey, agar, starch, and glycerol was evaluated on the physicochemical properties of green bananas stored for 28 days at 13 °C and 95% relative humidity. Parameters such as weight loss, firmness, peel color, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, and structural changes were measured. The statistical analysis (ANOVA and Tukey HSD) revealed highly significant differences among treatments. The formulation containing whey, agar, starch, and glycerol showed superior performance, with better firmness retention, lower weight and color loss, a more stable pH, and a slower increase in °Brix, indicating delayed ripening. Compared to the uncoated control, this coating effectively postponed physio-logical deterioration without compromising fruit quality. These findings support its use as a functional and sustainable postharvest strategy to extend the shelf life of Musa paradi-siaca.