Quality deterioration of bananas in the post-harvest supply chain- an empirical study

Indika Fernando,Alieta Eyles,Roger Stanley,Hossein Enshaei,Jiangang Fei

doi:10.1108/mscra-05-2019-0012

Indika Fernando, Alieta Eyles + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1108/mscra-05-2019-0012

Copy DOI

Abstract

Purpose Quality deterioration in bananas along the supply chain (SC) due to cosmetic damage has been a persistent challenge in Australia. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the incidence of cosmetic defects in bananas across the post-harvest SC and determining the causes of the diminished fruit quality at the retail stores. Design/methodology/approach The study quantified the level of cosmetic damage in 243 cartons of Cavendish bananas across three post-harvest SCs in Australia from pack houses to retail stores and identified the risk factors for cosmetic defects. Findings The level of cosmetic damage progressively increased from pack house (1.3 per cent) to distribution centre (DC) (9.0 per cent) and retail (13.3 per cent) and was significantly influenced by package height and pallet positioning during transit. Abrasion damage in ripened bananas was influenced by the travel distance between DC and retail store. The study also revealed a range of risk factors contributing to the observed damage including weakened paperboard cartons due to high moisture absorption during the ripening process. Research limitations/implications This study only investigated damage incidence in three post-harvest banana SCs in Australia and the damage assessments were confined to packaged bananas. Originality/value This study assessed the quality of bananas along the entire post-harvest SC from farm gate to retail store. The study provided knowledge of the extent of the quality defects, when and where the damage occurred and demonstrated the underlying factors for damage along the SC. This will enable the development of practical interventions to improve the quality and minimize wastage of bananas in the retail markets.

Highlights

Fruit quality can be defined as the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils consumers’ expectations (Schröder, 2003)
Quality deterioration in bananas is progressive across the supply chain (SC), resulting in reduced fruit quality at the retail stores
Despite the shorter distance and duration in the last-mile distribution from distribution centre (DC) to retail, quality deterioration was significant in ripened bananas

Summary

Introduction

Fruit quality can be defined as the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils consumers’ expectations (Schröder, 2003). The visual appearance which is arguably the most important factor in determining fruit quality can be affected by cosmetic defects caused by mechanical damage (Kader, 2002; Opara and Pathare, 2014). Mechanical damage is caused by one or more force loadings acting on produce, resulting in injury to the exocarp of fruit (Li and Thomas, 2014). The causes for mechanical damage in fruits may present throughout the post-harvest supply chain (SC). It was further revealed that the extent of fruit damage can be influenced by the stack height of the package and the stacked position of the pallet during transport (Barchi et al, 2002; Berardinelli et al, 2005; Fernando et al, 2018)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion