The short shelf-life of fruits in the tropics continues to be a pressing problem for farmers and other value chain actors. Hexanal is a naturally occurring compound that has received attention as a novel postharvest compound preservative. This study was conducted to determine the effect of hexanal on enhancing the postharvest shelf-life and quality of ‘sweet banana’ fruits. Two hexanal concentrations (2% and 3%) were applied as either a pre-harvest spray or a post-harvest dip. Fruits were obtained from two different agro ecological zones of Kenya (AEZs II and IV). The treated fruits were kept under ambient room conditions of 25 ± 1°C and RH 60 ± 5% to ripen. Hexanal treatment maintained the fruits quality and prolonged the shelf-life by 6 days in the dipped fruits, 6 and 3 days in the sprayed fruits from the drier AEZ IV and colder AEZ II respectively compared to the untreated controls. Hexanal treatments significantly (P = .05) delayed or reduced the rate of most of the physicochemical parameters analysed irrespective of the concentration and mode of application used. Fruit firmness was significantly (P = .05) maintained up to day 6 and 9 of storage in the treated fruits compared to the controls which softened drastically as from day 3 and 6 in the sprayed and dipped fruits respectively. Hexanal treatment delayed ethylene and respiratory peaks by 3 days in both modes of application and significantly delayed progression of other ripening related changes such as 0Brix, titratable acidity, simple sugars and vitamin C. Sensory evaluation showed no significant differences in the various quality attributes analysed between the hexanal treated and control fruits. The results of this study indicate that, use of hexanal is a potential technology that could be adopted by banana farmers to enhance post-harvest shelf-life without compromising on quality.
Papaya is a thin-skinned fruit that ripens and softens over a very short time, usually in 3 days, predisposing the fruit to physical damage and phyto-pathogen invasion even with careful handling further shortening postharvest shelf life. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of Hexanal, naturally occurring compound, on-farm spray, in managing the postharvest shelf life of papaya in two agro-ecological zones in Kenya. A formulation of Hexanal containing Tween 20 and ethanol was made by volume basis (v/v) and spray treatment at 1 and 2% in “Solo sunrise” and “Mountain” papaya cultivars. The experiment was a randomized block design with ninety-six plants per farm randomly selected. Spraying was applied at 30 days, 30 + 15 days, and 15 days to harvest time on mature green papaya. Control papaya fruits were sprayed with clean tap water as control. Data were collected on color changes and fruit retention on tree. The fruits were harvested when two to three yellow stripes were visible from the lower end of the fruits for postharvest analysis. Hexanal sprayed papaya fruits were retained for at least 13 days longer compared to the control fruits on tree. Hexanal treatment at 2% revealed an improved effect on managing papaya postharvest shelf life. All fruits treated with Hexanal significantly showed reduced rate of color break, softening, and enhanced extension of fruit shelf life by at least 6 days. Hexanal treatment also delayed ethylene and respiratory peaks by three days and showed no significant (
P
≤
0.05
) difference in the levels of total titratable acidity and total soluble solids. The results of this study indicate that Hexanal applied as a preharvest spray on mature green “Solo sunrise” and “Mountain” papaya cultivars grown in Kenya, is effective in prolonging shelf life and postharvest quality.
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