Effect of Sucrose Fatty Acid Ester Coating on the Ripening of Ethylene-Treated Cavendish Bananas.

Sucrose fatty acid esters were used as coating materials to observe their effects on the ripening of ethylene-treated cavendish bananas. Bananas were coated with 2% sucrose fatty acid esters namely sucrose lauric, palmitic and stearic acid esters after 100 ppm ethylene application for 12 h and stored at 20°C. The sucrose fatty acid ester coating reduced the weight loss and extended the storage life of the bananas. Coated bananas reached close to the hue angle of 90 degrees later than non-coated bananas, i.e., delayed degreening. Non-coated bananas which ripened faster also lost their firmness earlier. Among the sucrose fatty acid esters, a 2% palmitic acid ester coating significantly delayed the ripening phenomenon of bananas. The reducing sugar content of 2% stearic acid ester-coated banana was 7.56 g/100 g and was found to be significantly higher than that of other treatments. Test panel members chose 2% lauric acid ester-coated bananas with respect to taste, sweetness and hardness.