Application of nonwoven as a bunch cover for banana during winter season in Thailand

Performance of Different Bunch Cover Materials to Improve Quality of Cavendish Banana Cultivated during Winter and Summer in Thailand

“…This observation agreed with previous studies on other cover materials having low light penetration, for example, ALF on Cavendish banana [4,22,31], paper and polyethylene (PE) on "Prata" banana [3], and black PE on "Nanica" banana [19]. In previous studies, a reduction of L* value on Cavendish banana [4,15], as well as an increase in hue angle (H • ) value on banana "Nianca" [19], were observed in fruit covered with nonwoven material. However, an increase in lightness (L*) value for banana fruit with AFL covering may not meet consumer acceptance (personal interview, data not shown), since the color of Cavendish banana changed from dark green to light green.…”

“…This result concurred with previous studies on different material covers, where perforated blue PE, NW, and ALF bunch cover materials did not significantly increase pulp-to-peel ratios of William, Jahaji and Cavendish banana, respectively [2,6,7]. A recent study conducted on Cavendish banana during the winter season also found that perforated blue PE and NW did not significantly affect pulp-to-peel ratio [4,15]. For dry matter content, there was a small difference between control and NW in the summer trial (Figure 5).…”

“…CI symptoms of field banana were reported in Australia [1], Brazil [14] and Thailand [15,16]. However, few reports exist on the application of NW cover materials in Cavendish banana to reduce CI in winter.…”

“…The use of nonwoven, double paper and PE on banana "Nanica" did not prevent CI [14]. Recent studies conducted on Cavendish banana indicated that application of NW and ALF reduced CI and SB during early and late winter, respectively [4,15]. In Thailand, few studies have investigated the use of cover materials in Cavendish banana or other fruit varieties to control or reduce CI caused by cool temperature fluctuation in winter.…”

“…In Thailand, few studies have investigated the use of cover materials in Cavendish banana or other fruit varieties to control or reduce CI caused by cool temperature fluctuation in winter. A nonwoven prototype with insulation performance comparable to polystyrene (PS) sheet showed success as a commercial cover, preventing cool temperature fluctuation [15]. Use of polystyrene sheet (PS) material for Cavendish banana cover during winter adversely affected SB defect on the top and middle hands of the banana bunch due to heat accumulation inside the multilayered cover [4].…”