Conditions in banana ripening using the rack and pit traditional methods and their effect on juice extraction

Abstract

Traditional banana ripening processes for juice extraction, using the rack and pit methods, were carried out on farm to assess and compare the conditions in the respective ripening chambers and the suitability of the resulting ripe bananas for juice extraction. During ripening, high temperatures (23-32°C) were attained and ethylene was produced. Ethylene reached peak concentrations of 250 and 500 mg kg−1 for the rack and the pit methods respectively. Owing to the continued respiration of the bananas, the oxygen concentration fell and carbon dioxide accumulated, however the bananas attained a bright yellow colour on ripening. There was a significant difference in environmental conditions between the rack and pit ripening chambers. This did not affect ripening and it was possible to extract juice from bananas ripened by either method. However, some juice extraction failures were encountered. These preliminary studies suggest that the success or failure of banana juice extraction depends partly on conditions of ripening, in particular temperature. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry