Precooling after harvesting is successful in preserving banana quality during postharvest storage

Banana (Musa sp.) is one of the most popular commercial tropical fruits traded in the Philippines as a center of origin and diversity in Southeast Asia. The purpose of this study was to identify the optimal precooling dipping time for banana fruits stored in ambient conditions and to analyze the impact of precooling on the postharvest quality of banana fruits stored in ambient conditions. The study was conducted in completely randomized design (CRD) with 15 samples per treatment replicated 3 times. The treatments were designated as follows: T1 - No treatment (control, no precooling); T2 - 10 ?C for 2 hours; T3 - 10 ?C for 4 hours; T4 - 10?C for 6 hours. Results showed that precooling with various dipping time were significantly affected the postharvest characteristics of banana fruits. Precooling at 10oC for 6 hours of dipping time significantly delayed ripening, decreased shriveling and reduced occurrence of disease incidence after 6-8 days of storage at ambient condition (25oC). When banana fruits were precooled at 10oC for 6 hours after 5 days of storage at ambient conditions, the visual quality rating remained higher. The degree of softening, total soluble acid, titratable acidity, pH and vitamin c content did not differ significantly between all treatments after 10 days of storage. Precooling after harvesting is successful in preserving banana quality during postharvest storage. This could be used as a starting point for further intervention studies to reduce postharvest losses and increase banana marketability. SourcesEffect of precooling on postharvest quality of cardaba banana (Musa sp.) stored at room temperatureMarilou M. Benitez, Jenelo Iba?ez, Fatima Rose Rivera, Ericjhon Hinayon, Eutiquio Sudaria & Analita SalabaoAsian Journal of Resource Management and Governance, Vol. 1 No. 1 (2021)http://ojs.nwssu.edu.ph/index.php/ajrmg/article/view/5 Picture by AgriStarts, https://www.agristarts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_ID/60/index.htm