2015

Determination of Maximum Consumer Preference of Banana Fruit

W.A.G.E.WIJELATH

Introduction

A banana is an edible fruit, botanically a berry, produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa. (In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called plantains.) The fruit is variable in size, color and firmness, but is usually elongated and curved, with soft flesh rich in starch covered with a rind which may be green, yellow, red, purple, or brown when ripe. The fruits grow in clusters hanging from the top of the plant. Almost all modern edible parthenocarpic bananas come from two wild species – Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. Banana is a major staple crop grown throughout the humid tropical zone. They provide both a primary source of carbohydrate and revenue for small-scale farmers. Bananas are the most widely consumed of all fruits grown in Sri lanka. Ripening is the process by which fruits attain their desirable flavour, quality, colour, palatable nature and other textural properties. Ripening is associated with change in composition such as conversion of starch to sugar. On the basis of ripening behavior, fruits are classified as climacteric and non-climacteric fruits. Banana is a climacteric fruit. Climacteric fruits are defined as fruits that enter ‘climacteric phase’ after harvest i.e. they continue to ripen. During the ripening process the fruits emit ethylene along with increased rate of respiration. Ripe fruits are soft and delicate and generally cannot withstand rigorous of transport and repeated handling. These fruits are harvested hard and green, but fully mature and are ripened near consumption areas. Small dose of ethylene is used to induce ripening process under controlled conditions of temperature and humidity. These fruit in fully ripe state are too delicate to withstand transportation over long distances and should preferably be ripened near the consumption area. Non-climacteric fruits once harvested do not ripen further. Non climacteric fruits produce very small amount of ethylene and do not respond to ethylene treatment. There is no characteristic increased rate of respiration or production of carbon dioxide. Physiological maturity is the stage of development when a plant or plant part will continue ontogeny even if detached. Commercial maturity is the stage of development when a plant or plant part possesses the prerequisites for utilization by consumers for a particular purpose. The storage life of the fruit depends on the stage of maturity at which it is harvested. Fruits are generally harvested at physiologically matured stage to get optimum quality. Maturity plays a major role in ripening of fruits. Immature fruits resulted in improper ripening. The traditional method of assessing maturity and time of harvest via the criterion of loss of angularity of fruits leads to heavy post harvest loss. Mature green fruits are firm and therefore better able to withstand the post harvest handling procedures required by commercial operations. This experiment was initiated to determine maturity indices, observe fruit development, and identify the most suitable ripening stage to consume the fruit.

Methodology

The physiologically matured banana fruits were harvested by visual judgment from the orchard, Agriculture Technology Park, Gannoruwa. They were carefully transported to the laboratory, Department of Agricultural Biology, University of Peradeniya. The bruised and diseased fruits were sorted out manually and healthy, uniform sized fruits were selected for the study. The fruits were placed in a pest free well ventilated cage. Temperature, light and the relative humidity of the place were measured. The appearance, peel colour, taste and the aroma of the fruits were observed once in two days.

Readings and Observations

Table 1: Condition of the location where fruits were kept Measures Value

Temperature 27.5 OC

Relative humidity 92 %

Light 684 lx

Table 2: The peel colour, aroma and taste of the banana fruits at each day Date Peel colour Aroma Taste

1st Dark green Not identified Astringency

3rd Light green Not identified Astringency

5th Green with trace of yellow

Slightly identified Slightly sweet with astringency

7th Greenish yellow Identified Sweet

10th Yellow with black spots

Identified well Highly sweet

Figure 1: Banana orchard, Agro-Technology Park, Gannoruwa

Figure 2: Before harvested Figure 3: 1st day

Figure 4: Cross section of a banana at 1st day Figure 5: 3rd day

Figure 5: 5th day Figure 6: 7th day

Figure 7: Cross section of the banana at 7th day Figure 8: 10th day

Figure 9: Ripening stages of banana

Discussion

Fruit, which supply a number of vital nutrients essential to body, is an important constituent of human diet today, more with much awareness towards health and fitness. A fruit is a part of a flowering plant that derives from specific tissues of the flower, one or more ovaries, and in some cases accessory tissues. Fruits are the means by which these plants disseminate seeds. Many of them that bear edible fruits, in particular, have propagated with the movements of humans and animals in a symbiotic relationship as a means for seed dispersal and nutrition, respectively; in fact, humans and many animals have become dependent on fruits as a source of food. Fruits account for a substantial fraction of the world's agricultural output, and some (such as the apple and the pomegranate) have acquired extensive cultural and symbolic meanings. Commonly grown bananas are harvested green at varying stages of maturity. When they are to be transported to distant places, they are picked slightly immature-about 75 to 80% mature with plainly visible angles, and will ripen in about 3 weeks. For local or nearby markets, more mature fruits are harvested, and they ripen in less than a week. Indices used in judging maturity vary widely among growers in different areas. Some of them are pulp to peel ratio, days from emergence of inflorescence, disappearance of angularity of the fingers, drying of the leaves, and brittleness of the floral ends. Local anamalu variety was used for this experiment. It was harvested in a banana orchard located in Gannoruwa. It is located in the mountainous and thickly forested interior of the island, elevation of 500 metres (1,600 ft) above sea level. Gannoruwa has

a relatively wetter and cooler temperatures than that of the tropical climate of the rest of the country, due to its higher elevation. Ripening, a process in fruits that causes them to become more palatable by making them sweeter, less green, and soft, physiologically and commercially, is the most significant phase in their life. During the developmental phase, the fruit acquires a proper shape, weight, volume, texture, colour, aroma and flavour. One of the most accepted definitions describe the fruit ripening as a physiological process involving the induction/ acceleration of a variety of metabolic process most or all enzymatically regulated and catalyzed. Temperature, size of the fruit, maturity of the fruit , exposure to sun, water loss or humidity, peel thickness, ethylene gas, mechanical damage are the factors affecting fruit ripening. Table 3: Optimal ripening conditions for fruit ripening Temperature 18 to 25oC Relative humidity 90 to 95% Ethylene concentration 10 to 100 ppm Duration of treatment 24 to 74 h depending on fruit type, maturity

Air circulation Sufficient to ensure distribution of ethylene

within ripening room Ventilation Require adequate air exchange in order to

prevent accumulation of O2’ which reduces

effectiveness of C2H4

Conclusion Banana fruit has significance difference in aroma, flavor, and colour with the ripening. The banana fruit (local varity anamalu ) has maximum consumer preference when it is in the 5th day.

References

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