Efficacy of Ethylene and Heat Treatment on the Physico-Chemical Properties and Storability of Two Banana ( Musa s pp.) Cultivars

Abstract

This study examined the efficacy of post-harvest treatments, specifically the application of ethephon (25 - 150 ppm) and exposure to heat generated by smouldering rice husk (12 - 30 hours), on the physicochemical quality and storability of two prominent banana cultivars, Amritasagar and Sabri. Quality parameters, including pulp-to-peel ratio, total soluble solids (TSS), sugar con-tent, titratable acidity (TA), physiological weight loss (PLW), moisture con-tent, and shelf life, were quantitatively assessed at two-day intervals through-out the storage period. The highest post-ripening values for key consumer at-tributes were achieved in a dose-dependent manner at the maximum intensi-ty: 150 ppm ethephon resulted in a pulp-to-peel ratio of 5.25, total sugars of 23.50%, and TSS of 27.93 ˚Bx, while 30 hours of heat exposure produced com-parable enhancements. Both methods significantly accelerated the ripening process and improved this primary quality metrics compared to the untreated controls. Notably, increased treatment intensity led to a concomitant reduc-tion in post-harvest shelf life, decreasing from an average of 11 days (control) to approximately 7 - 8 days in the most intensely treated fruits. These findings confirm that controlled ethephon and non-chemical heat treatment are effec-tive and practical post-harvest strategies to accelerate ripening and enhance banana quality metrics but require precise optimization to effectively balance the desired quality improvements against the resultant reduction in marketa-bility period.