Abstract:
Banana (Musa paradisica) is an edible fruit valued worldwide for its flavour, nutritional
value, and availability throughout the year. They are harvested green and begin ripening as soon
as the banana stem is cut from the plant. This results in huge post-harvest losses. Loss during
distribution is also a major problem banana encounters.
In order to reduce these losses, use of a suitable packaging method for wrapping the
fruit is found to be a solution. Food packaging is a system by which a fresh produce or processed
product will reach from the production centre to the ultimate consumer in safe and sound condition
at an affordable price. It works on the principle that if CO 2 in the atmosphere is augmented, the
respiration rate and storage life can be extended
Here various samples of bananas were vacuum and shrink packaged and stored in
ambient conditions to study their effect on shelf life extension. Various Physico chemical
parameters were also analysed as a part of study. In general peel colour changed with time, fruit
firmness and toughness decreased progressively and increase in total sugars and TSS were
observed. Of these, the best results and a maximum shelf life of 28 days were obtained for shrink
packaged samples. Evaluations of organoleptic properties were also performed by sensory
analysis.
