Minimize browning incidence of banana by postharvest active chitosan/PVA Combines with oxalic acid treatment to during shelf-life

- Banana ripens more rapidly after harvest and susceptible to browning incidence during shelf life.
- Chitosan is one of them as a biopolymer that is non-toxic and has antimicrobial properties. Also, it is a good tool to provide a protection to fruit during handling and packaging processes.
- Considering to CS/PVA can be safely applied for postharvest of fruit incorporate with oxalic acid as anti-browning.
- It extends the postharvest life of fruit by reducing water loss, gas exchange, and oxidative reaction rate.

The effect of anti-browning by exogenous of chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol (CS/PVA) blended with oxalic acid (OA) at different concentration (0, 10, 15 and 20 mM) on 'Williams' banana coating to minimize fruit peel browning during shelf life/marketing. Fruits were immersed in different CS/PVA-OA treatments for 10 min and stored at room temperature (24 ± 1 and RH 58 ± 2). Samples were taken every two days for non-destructive and destructive measurements. CS/PVA-OA 20mM presents a significant reduction in cell membrane degrading enzyme activities such as cellulase (CEL), lipoxygenase (LOX) and pectinase (PT). Consequently, it minimizes lipid peroxidation and cell membrane leakage. Then browning enzymes activities polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) minimized by maintaining total phenols and less browning incidence on fruit peel during shelf life. Overall, oxalic acid could minimize the browning enzyme activities to ensure a smooth surface and long term of the shelf life of banana at room temperature.