The effects of banana positions within a bunch on the ripening behavior of Musa acuminata cv. Berangan

Abstract

A study on the ripening behaviors between different position of hands (upper, middle and lower) within intact and de-handed bunches of 'Berangan' banana (Musa acuminata) was carried out. The ripening behaviors were determined based on quantitative measurements of physico-chemical characteristics during storage at ambient temperature of 3 days intervals for 12 days. Both intact and de·handed bunches of bananas had shown different patterns of ripening behaviors in terms of physical changes (peel and pulp color and weight ratio, fruit weight, texture and volume) and chemical changes (starch, total soluble solid (TSS) and tannins) with respect to different hand positions (upper, middle and lower). There were increasing trends of fruit volume, size, color (L, a, b) and TSS content whereas peel and pulp weight ratio, weight changes, peel and pulp texture, starch and tannin contents showed decreasing values over the storage. This study had proven that, maturation of fruits in a bunch started from upper hands down to lower hands in both intact and de-handed bunches of bananas. Nevertheless, the lower hands were able to catch up with the ripening process in terms of total soluble solid, tannins and starch contents where towards the end of storage day, their contents had synchronized with those upper and middle hands although upper and middle hands had showed advance changes in terms of physical characteristic (peel color) thus resulting in contemporaneous ripening within a bunch. Besides, this study also showed that ripening process occurred faster in de-handed bunches compared to the intact bunches of bananas.