Effects of Hot Water Treatments and Organic Extracts on Diseases, Shelf Life and Quality of Banana

Abstract

Banana is a climacteric fruit and highly perishable in nature and hence, consumption period is very short after harvesting. An experiment was conducted to study the effects of hot water treatments and organic extracts on diseases, shelf life and quality of banana. The experiment consisted of two hot water treatments viz. hot water at 500C for 5 min and hot water at 550C for 5 min, and five organic extracts viz. control, neem (Azadirachta indica) extract (1:1), aloe vera (Aloe indica) extract (1%), garlic (Allium sativum) extract (1:1) and chitosan coating @ 0.2%. The two-factor experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design with three replications. Hot water treatments and organic extracts had significant effects on all the parameters under study. Between the hot water treatments, 500C for 5 min treated fruits showed better physico-chemical characteristics than 550C for 5 min treated fruits at 12 days after storage (DAS). Other parameters such as weight loss, pulp to peel ratio, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, disease incidence and disease severity were found to increase during storage period. Disease incidence and severity were also significantly higher in all fruits during the entire period of experiment except garlic extracts treated fruits. The longest shelf life (15 days) was found with garlic extracts treated fruits. From the results, it may be concluded that hot water treatment at 500C for 5 min along with garlic extract (1:1) could be used to prolong the shelf life, reduce postharvest fungal infection and quality retention of banana.