Abstract:
The banana plant (Musa spp.), commonly known as plantain, is a valuable
perennial herb distinguished by a pseudostem that resembles a trunk, composed of
tightly wrapped leaf sheaths. Various parts of the banana plant hold medicinal value,
making it an important and economical food source in India. Globally, banana
production is estimated at 48.9 million tonnes, with India contributing approximately
10.4 million tonnes. However, the cultivation of bananas generates substantial waste
around 4 tonnes of waste per tonne of bananas harvested, with the pseudostem
accounting for about 75% of this by-product. One significant issue in pseudostem
processing is the susceptibility to browning. This study aims to compare the
effectiveness of retort pouch packaging and PL technology in preserving BPS juice.
The BPS juice was subjected to retort processing at temperatures ranging from
70 to 90°C for durations of 15 to 25 min, while PL processing was performed with
100 to 200 pulses, at sample depths of 5 to 15 mm, and a source distance of 4 to 10
cm. The process variables for retort and PL processing were optimized using Central
Composite Design (CCD) and Box-Behnken Design (BBD) through response surface
methodology, respectively. Optimal results were achieved at 75°C for 17 min for
retort processing, and for PL processing, with 200 pulses, a sample depth of 11 mm,
and a sample-source distance of 10 cm. Sensory quality evaluations showed that
samples treated with PL maintained superior sensory characteristics compared to
those treated with retort pouch processing. Rheological analysis of fresh, retort processed, and PL-processed BPS juice indicated non-Newtonian, shear-thickening
behaviour. Shelf-life studies of samples processed under these optimal conditions
showed that PL-treated samples could retain their physicochemical properties and
safe microbial levels for up to 70 days under refrigerated storage
