Smoking Treatment in Enhancing Banana Ripening and its Effects on Physical and Biochemical Attributes of Ambul Banana (<em>Musa acuminate</em>, AAB)

Smoking is a traditional practice used in enhancing the ripening process of banana. This study was conducted to analyze the effects of smoking treatment on different physical and biochemical parameters of Ambul banana (Musa acuminata, AAB). Bananas were screened by peel colour and fruit firmness to obtain samples at similar maturity stage. A sample was treated with smoke and stored at 20℃ and 80-85% relative humidity and the control sample was allowed to ripe naturally under the same conditions. Physical (peel colour, firmness) and biochemical parameters (moisture %, pulp pH, TSS, titratable acidity, total sugar, total starch, organic acid profile, sugar profile, aroma profile) were tested at fully yellow stage (stage 6). Results revealed that smoking treatment can reduce the quality of banana by reducing its peel yellowness (a*) significantly at stage 6 and making black scars on peel. Further fruit firmness, moisture % in peel and pulp pH were significantly (p<0.05) affected by smoking. Total sugar showed nearly a twofold decrease in treated fruits (10.26 g/100g) while there was no appreciable difference in starch content. Fructose, glucose, malic acid, citric acid and oxalic acid were found in considerably lower levels in treated samples than in non-treated. Sucrose was completely unavailable in treated banana flesh. Smoked banana reported a poor aroma profile with few numbers of aroma compounds (19) where some esters such as ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, butyl pentanoate, 3-methylbutyl 2-methylbutanoate, 2-methylpropylhexanoate, 2-methylpropyl acetate, 3-methylbutyl hexanoate and [(E)-hex-4-enyl] butanoate were not found.