Effects of different ripening stages on the physiological, biochemical, and sensory properties of microwave-dried berangan banana (Musa acuminata)

Abstract Bananas are a climacteric fruit, which means that they continue to ripen after harvest. To increase the length of time that bananas may be stored, a variety of dried banana products are made utilizing the microwave drying method. However, it is unknown at what stage of banana ripening is most suited for microwave drying. The purpose of this study is to examine how various ripening stages affect the quality of microwave-dried bananas. Musa acuminata Colla cv. Berangan bananas in three different ripening stages (3, 5, and 7) were selected, and banana discs with a thickness of 5.0 ± 0.1 mm were microwave-dried using the settings optimized in this study (i.e., 300 W, 10 s drying time with 50 s intermittent time). Physiological (colour, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, moisture content), biochemical (total carotenoid content, total polyphenol content, and total antioxidant content), and sensory acceptance were among the criteria used to evaluate the samples. Our results showed that the optimized drying parameters reduced the moisture content for all ripening stages of dried bananas within the safety moisture content level for dried food (5%). The dried bananas of the ripening stage 7 had the highest color change of 44.68, total soluble solid content to titratable acidity of 16.93, total antioxidant level of 2183.98 µg/g DW, total polyphenol content of 5.92 mg GAE/g DW, and sensory acceptance level of 4.3. In summary, the best bananas for microwave-dried banana chips are those at a stage 7 ripening stage.