Extending shelf-life and preserving the quality of lady finger banana (Musa acuminata) via various postharvest treatments

Lady finger banana (Musa acuminata) is a popular fruit worldwide but tends to ripen and spoil quickly within a week after harvest. Postharvest treatment is a key factor in extending their shelf-life. This study aimed to determine the most suitable postharvest treatment for prolonging the shelf-life and maintaining the quality of lady finger bananas when combined with polyethylene bags. A 30-day storage study was conducted using 216 bananas arranged in a completely randomized design, with four treatments: T0 (control), T1 (3% citric acid), T2 (3% sodium benzoate), and T3 (0.022% sodium hypochlorite). Peel color, weight loss, pH, sugar content, and spoilage were measured every five days. The results showed that T3 (sodium hypochlorite) was the most effective treatment for extending shelf-life and maintaining quality. While variations in peel color, weight loss, pH, and sugar content across treatments were not statistically significant (p > 0.05), the percentages of spoiled bananas were significantly different (p < 0.01). Compared with other treatments, T3 resulted in the lowest percentage of spoilage (36.11% ± 8.81%). Additional findings for T3 included a weight loss of 2.53 ± 0.44%, a pH of 5.60 ± 0.06, and a sugar content of 16.2 ± 1.59 after 30 days. However, citric acid and sodium benzoate treatments were not effective at extending shelf-life or maintaining quality when used with polyethylene bags. In conclusion, sodium hypochlorite combined with polyethylene packaging was more effective at extending the shelf-life and preserving the quality of lady finger bananas.