As per the report, postharvest losses are increasing; half of the fruits and vegetables lose annually. Extending banana shelf life during export is critical due to their high perishability. This edible coating ensures bananas arrive in optimal condition, enhancing marketability, fetching better prices, and increasing revenue for exporters. The present study aimed to investigate the efficiency of an edible coating on the physico-chemical and bio-chemical qualities of the post-harvest banana (Musa spp.) stored at the room temperature (25±2ᵒC) for 15 days to assess the impact of coating on extending its shelf life by sustaining its nutritive properties. In general, as the storage period increases, the titratable acidity (TA), pH, firmness of the fruits decrease, while weight loss and total soluble solids increases. The current study showed that the edible coating act as a barrier between the physico-chemical nature of fruit and the external environment to preclude the direct interaction with atmospheric gases and microbes. The coating reduced the rate of respiration, color, weight loss, firmness as compared to control. An edible encasing could be a useful substitute to extend the postharvest life and maintain the quality of banana fruit.

Bio-coating, biochemical analyses, physiological analyses, shelf life, Banana, postharvest

The results of this study show that, in comparison to the control group and other treatment methods, the application of MBT/BC-01 coatings on banana fruit significantly retards a number of factors, including weight loss, decay percentage, total soluble solids, pH, and titrable acidity. This suggests that MBT/BC-01 protects banana fruits better than other coatings. It is noteworthy because it is essential to sustaining the fruit's overall quality traits, prolonging its shelf life, and safeguarding its important qualities throughout storage. To summarise, the findings indicate that MBT/BC-01 has promising potential as a preventive intervention to improve the quality and post-harvest life of banana fruits.

R. Nischitha, Shravya, Pooja, D.V., Mahesh G. Shetty and S.K. Ghosh (2023). Impact of Edible Coating in Extending the Shelf life of Post-harvested Banana under Storage Condition. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(11): 76-81.