Effect of plant extracts and chemical treatments under MAP on post-harvest quality of banana

This study was conducted to assess the effect of plant extracts and chemical treatments under modified atmosphere packaging on the postharvest quality and shelf life of 'Grand Naine' banana. This experiment was conducted in the laboratory of Department of Horticulture of AFU, Rampur from August to September 2024. This experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with eight treatments, each replicated thrice. The treatments involved in this experiment were Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), LDPE + 20% garlic extract, LDPE + 20% onion extract, LDPE + 20% ginger extract, LDPE + 20% neem extract, LDPE + 4% CaCl ₂ , LDPE + 1% KMnO ₄ and control. From this experiment, it was found that LDPE + 1% KMnO ₄ treated fruits had the lowest physiological loss in weight (8.42%), highest vitamin C content (11.83 mg/100 g), reduced softening with maximum firmness (3.47kg/cm ² ) and the longest shelf life of 26.5 days. Similarly, fruits treated with LDPE + 4% CaCl ₂ had the lowest color score (4.67) on 15th day of storage. Among plant extracts, LDPE + 20% neem extract was proved effective in minimizing physiological loss in weight (13.33%), reducing changes in total soluble solids (TSS) and titratable acidity (TA) and preserving fruit firmness (3.13 kg/cm ² ). Based on the findings, it can be concluded that modified atmosphere packaging in combination with 1% KMnO ₄ can effectively delay the onset of climacteric phase, delay ethylene synthesis and increase the shelf life of banana.