International Research Journal of Pure and Applied Chemistry

Bananas are well-known for their high nutritional content and good health benefits. However, the presence of ethylene shortens postharvest shelf life. Therefore, an effective preservation technique is essential for lowering post-harvest losses and increasing the marketability of bananas. This study investigates the potential ability of a novel ethylene scavenger prepared from an alkali-treated corn husk embedded with KMnO₄ and its preservation performance on the physicochemical properties during the storage period. Banana fruits were packed in four cardboard boxes with alkali-treated cornhusk (ATCH-KMnO₄)_, which was contained in small paper bags, and stored under room temperature conditions (25°C). Three boxes contain TCH-KMnO₄ at 0.2%, 0.3% and 0.5% per kg of banana, respectively, and a control group with no treatment. The monitoring of ripening process and assessment of some parameters such as fruit weight, firmness, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, pH and vitamin C were considered at interval during storage. The results revealed that among the treatment plan, TCH-KMnO₄ at 0.5% per kg of bananas shows better results with highest Firmness 22.5±0.08), titratable acidity (0.17±0.09), vitamin c content(6.20±0.05), pH (5.8±0.09) and significantly extended the storage life to 18 days as opposed to the control group, which had maximum total soluble solids, ascorbic acid and it deteriorated at 9th day. Corn husk embedded with KMnO₄ at 0.5%/ kg of the fruit shows a better result in extending the shelf life of banana fruits. It also appears to be a good alternative to the direct usage of chemical preservatives.