Abstract
Banana is a fruit of great importance for Brazilian agribusiness, in terms of consumption by the Brazilian population, second only to orange. Correct handling after harvesting is decisive to favor the longevity of the fruits during marketing, reducing losses caused by mechanical damage and poor packaging. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of seven post-harvest coatings on apple banana fruits. The experiment was carried out in a phytotechnic laboratory, using a completely randomized design with five replications. Each parcel consisted of a bouquet with three units of fruit. The treatments evaluated were: T1 = 28% sucupira extract solution; T2 = 57% sucupira extract solution; T3: 14% moringa extract solution; T4 = 9% grape oil solution, T5 = 14% coconut oil solution, T6 = 14% soy oil solution, T7 = 14% wax solution and T8 = Control (no coating applied). Beeswax provided the smallest losses in length, fruit diameter, and loss of fresh fruit mass during the storage period. The sucupira and moringa extracts provided the highest levels of soluble solids at the end of storage, and all coatings used in the post-harvest treatment of bananas reduced the ripening of the fruit.
Highlights
The banana crop is of great importance in the world scenario; it is one of the most consumed fruits in the world
Significant differences were observed concerning the different types of post-harvest treatments performed on banana fruits
It was observed that the treatments performed with sucupira and moringa extract were the ones that obtained the highest levels of total soluble solids (TSS) and were statistically equal to the control
Summary
The banana crop is of great importance in the world scenario; it is one of the most consumed fruits in the world. In Brazil, the banana is the second most-produced fruit, and in 2018, it yielded around 6 million tons. A large part of the production (97%) was consumed in the domestic market, and the export was almost 80 thousand tons of fresh and dried fruit in 2019 (Horti&Fruti, 2020). Its cultivation occurs predominantly on small properties, making it an important economic activity for family farmers, contributing to their settlement in the countryside (Oliveira, 2010) It is a food with high energy potential, as 100 g of pulp is equivalent to 100 calories, carbohydrates are on average 22% and are quickly metabolized by the body, has vitamins C, A, B1, B2, and in lower amounts of vitamins D and E. This fruit is rich in potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and iron, compared to other fruits such as apples and oranges (Oliveira & Santos, 2015)
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