Metabolic profiling reveals distinctive ripening dynamics in ethylene-treated Musa balbisiana cv. ‘Pisang Klutuk Wulung’ compared to commercial Cavendish banana

Abstract

As an important crop, bananas still encounter fruit quality and shelf-life problems that are affected by the ripening process. Improving postharvest technologies may effectively address these challenges, such as by studying the ripening mechanism of banana cultivars with a slow ripening process. A banana cultivar that exhibits this characteristic is Musa balbisiana cv. ‘Pisang Klutuk Wulung’ (BB Group) or Pisang Klutuk Wulung (PKW), which has a ripening duration of 14–28 days. However, the metabolomics study on the ripening mechanism of this banana is still limited. This study aimed to analyze metabolite changes in ethylene-treated Pisang Klutuk Wulung during ripening in comparison to commercial bananas (Cavendish). Both bananas were subjected to exogenous ethylene treatment and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to perform metabolite profiling throughout the ripening process. The principal component analysis showed sample separation based on the ripening stages and banana species in pulp and peel. Orthogonal projection to latent structure analysis suggested that metabolite changes accompanied the ripening stages. Potential metabolite markers that distinguished the ripening of PKW and Cavendish were found, such as quinic acid, inositol, and 2-aminoethanol. This study shows differences in metabolite profiles between these bananas, especially the metabolites involved in sugar metabolism, cell wall metabolism, stress response, and biosynthesis of aromatic compounds. This study provides novel insights into the metabolic changes occurring during PKW ripening, contributing to the improvement of banana postharvest strategies.