Comparative Assessment of Postharvest Treatments for Extending Shelf Life of Two Banana Cultivars in Bangladesh

Abstract

Banana holds a vital position in Bangladesh due to its high production and substantial contribution to the national fruit market. Despite its importance, inadequate handling, transportation, storage, and traditional ripening practices lead to significant postharvest losses. Therefore, a two-factor experiment using CRD with three replications was employed to evaluate the shelf life and quality of two banana cultivars, Amritasagar and Mehersagar, under six postharvest treatments: control, refrigeration at 14°C, ascorbic acid, potassium aluminum sulfate, unperforated polythene bag with KMnO₄, and calcium chloride. Significant varietal differences were observed. During storage, total sugars (reducing and non-reducing) and total soluble solids (TSS) increased. The highest total sugar content (26.07%) was recorded in Amritasagar treated with KMnO₄, whereas the lowest values were observed under control conditions. Shelf life was significantly influenced by postharvest treatments; bananas treated with KMnO₄ showed the longest shelf life, with 20.15 days in Amritasagar and 18.65 days in Mehersagar, compared to only 10.16 days for untreated Amritasagar. These findings demonstrate that KMnO₄ is highly effective in delaying ripening and extending banana shelf life. Therefore, the use of KMnO₄ in unperforated polythene packaging is recommended as a simple, cost-effective postharvest treatment to reduce losses and maintain banana quality in Bangladesh.