Postharvest Application of 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) Smart Fresh on quality of banana cv. Grand Naine

Abstract Maintaining the postharvest quality of fresh bananas is a major trading challenge of the industry. 1- Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) can prolong the postharvest quality of banana fruits by delaying the expression of ripening attributes and senescence through overtaking the binding of ethylene to its receptors thereby inhibiting ethylene signal transduction and downstream action. In the present study the treatments imposed were T1- Application of 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) 3.3% at 70mg/m3 (1ppm 1-MCP) in cold storage, T2- immediately after Application of 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) under room temperature, T3- Untreated control under cold storage, T4- Untreated control under room temperature or ambient temperature at 28 ± 20 C. (1-MCP) was applied for 14 hr (overnight) in an airtight container or in the 4 m3 tent with a fan inside to favour 1- MCP quick distribution. Observations were recorded for 5, 15 21 and 28 days under cold storage conditions of treated and untreated control fruits and without cold storage of treated and untreated control. The postharvest quality of ‘Grand Naine’ banana fruits such as peel yellowing, sensory firmness, TSS, visual quality, weight loss, shelf life and disease incidence under (1-MCP) for 14 hr (overnight) in an airtight container with a fan inside to favour 1- MCP quick distribution had prolonged the storage and shelf life of fruits. Moreover, weight loss of 1-MCP treated fruits was slower than control as evident on day 5 of storage onwards. Good visual quality of fruits treated with 1-MCP through gas exposure was maintained for 28 days of storage and control for 10 days only. However, disease incidence of the fruits among all 1-MCP treatment methods and control was comparable under similar storage condition and 1-MCP concentration.