Estrategia sostenible en la maduración de banano para el control biológico de la cáscara residual

Abstract

CONDITION FOR PUBLICATION OF PROJECT. Bananas are climacteric fruits highly susceptible to fungal deterioration during post-harvest storage. Ripening becomes a critical step in industrial processing, limiting shelf life and causing significant economic losses. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of applying ozone to banana samples before ripening, to inhibit microbial growth and preserve the quality of the flesh and peel. The progression of fungal deterioration from the crown to the peduncle was evaluated with the Frossard scale, as well as parameters of color (L*, a* and b*), ripening index, total soluble solids (°Brix), and hardness during ripening. Ozone treatment for 5 minutes significantly reduced crown rot by 1.4 points compared to the control. No statistically significant differences were observed in color, ripening index, or starch-to-sugar conversion. These results showed that ozonation did not alter the normal fruit ripening kinetics. Likewise, the decrease in hardness across all treatments was associated with the natural ripening process, although the 1 min treatment showed the highest hardness. Keywords: Ozone (O3), crown rot, uniform ripening, added value.