Characterization of Musa sp. fruits and plantain banana ripening stages according to their physicochemical attributes

Healing from the Peel: Exploring the Bioactive Potential of Bananas for Gastric Ulcer Management

Bananas (Musaceae), herbaceous plants widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions, are traditionally used for their purported therapeutic effects on early-stage gastric ulcers. This comprehensive review provides an analysis of the bioactive compounds in bananas, with a focus on the influence of varietal differences and ripening stages. Researchers have identified key bioactive molecules in bananas, including phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and biogenic amines, predominantly located in the banana peel. Unripe bananas contain higher levels of phenolic compounds and biogenic amines, whereas ripened bananas exhibit increased carotenoid content. Additionally, in vivo studies have indicated that flavonoids, particularly leucocyanidin, exert gastroprotective effects by enhancing gastric mucosal thickness and increasing epidermal growth factor receptor expression, which promotes angiogenesis and re-epithelialization of the gastric mucosa, thereby protecting against ulcer formation. The findings reinforce the medicinal value of bananas, particularly in their unripe state, and highlight the importance of further exploration into their bioactive components for the development of natural therapies targeting gastric health.

Opuntia ficus indica mucilage coatings regulate cell wall softening enzymes and delay the ripening of banana fruit stored at retail conditions

Rapid ripening and softening due to cell wall polysaccharide degradation and disassembly pose major challenges in extending fruit storability. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of Opuntia ficus indica mucilage (OFIM) edible coating in minimizing softening in bananas under retail conditions. Mucilage was extracted from freshly harvested prickly pear cladodes and dried into a powder. Phenolic compounds in OFIM powder were quantified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). OFIM concentrations (1, 2 and 3 % (w/v)) were prepared, and their physicochemical properties were examined. The prepared coatings were applied to harvested banana fruit by dipping and stored at room temperature for 12 days. During the experiment, several parameters were measured, including fruit weight loss, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), peel color, pulp firmness, ethylene production, respiration rate, ion leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, total chlorophyll and carotenoids, chlorophyll-degrading enzymes, protopectin content and water-soluble pectin (WSP) and softening-related enzymes in the peel. Results showed that mucilage treatments effectively delayed cell wall and chlorophyll degradation, as well as carotenoid accumulation, thus inhibiting ripening-associated processes compared to control fruit. OFIM-treated fruit exhibited significantly higher firmness, chlorophyll content, and TA, lower TSS content, ethylene production, respiration rate, MDA concentration, ion leakage and protopectin content than uncoated fruit. This suggests that OFIM edible coating has the potential to maintain quality and extend the shelf life of bananas by suppressing softening enzymes during storage.

Spatially resolved metabolomics reveals variety-specific metabolic changes in banana pulp during postharvest senescence

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Both post-ripening stages and banana varieties contribute to metabolite variation.

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AuNP-assisted LDI-MSI was firstly used in mapping functional metabolites in pulps.

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AAs and monoamines exclusively accumulated in the middle region near the seed zone.

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Monosaccharides locate in whole pulps but enrich in the intermediate microregion.

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Di/trisaccharides exhibit different accumulation patterns as monosaccharides.

Banana is one of most popular fruits globally due to health-promoting and disease-preventing effects, yet little is known about in situ metabolic changes across banana varieties. Here, we integrated gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (LDI-MSI) and metabolomics to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution and levels of metabolites within Brazil and Dongguan banana pulps during postharvest senescence. Metabolomics results indicated that both postripening stages and banana varieties contribute to metabolite levels. Benefiting from improved ionization efficiency of small-molecule metabolites and less peak interference, we visualized the spatiotemporal distribution of sugars, amino acids (AAs) and monoamines within pulps using AuNP-assisted LDI-MSI for the first time, revealing that AAs and monoamines exclusively accumulated in the middle region near the seed zone. Monosaccharides and di/trisaccharides were generally distributed across entire pulps but exhibited different accumulation patterns. These findings provide a guide for breeding new varieties and improving extraction efficiency of bioactive compounds.

Analysis of consumer-oriented quality characteristics of raw and boiled plantains in Cameroon: implication for breeding

This study aimed at understanding users' demand for raw and boiled plantains in rural and urban areas in West and Littoral regions of Cameroon. Surveys conducted in eight rural localities consisted of key informant interviews, gender-disaggregated focus group discussions, market and individual interviews. Processing and cooking diagnoses were done with restaurant cooks in urban areas, to know the details of plantain processing and boiling and to understand the quality characteristics of raw plantain that give a most-liked boiled plantain. Local favourite landraces, most cultivated landraces in Cameroon (Batard and Big ebanga) and a new CARBAP/CIRAD hybrid (CARBAP K74) were used. The preference for plantain cultivars was both gender and region-dependent. High-quality plantain should be mature, with big fingers and having a dark green peel colour. The fruit length and girth, pulp pH, dry matter content and firmness were found to be relevant postharvest quality characteristics for plantain breeding improvement.

Carbohydrate and bioactive compounds composition of starchy tropical fruits and tubers, in relation to pre and postharvest conditions: A review

In some tropical countries, people are suffering from both undernourishment and noncommunicable disorders, such as overweight/obesity. Starchy tropical fruits and tubers are of particular interest for their carbohydrate content and for the micronutrients they provide. The present study summarizes the content in carbohydrate, phenolics, carotenoids, and vitamin C, as well as the antioxidant activity of a wide range of tropical fruits and tubers. The energy content of fruits and tubers studied is in the range of 1,200 to 1,800 kJ/100 g of dry weight. They are thus important staple foods and, due to their diversity and seasonality, they can provide energy all year long by alternating the resources in the human diet. Starchy fruit and tuber crops have antiobesity properties as they are bulky, rich in moisture, and contain less than 2% of fat. Noncolored fruit and tubers provide total phenolics at about 20 to 140 mEq/100 g fresh weight. They thus have a high antioxidant capacity, as related to their total phenolic content but also to the presence of carotenoids, such as lutein, mostly in Dioscorea bulbifera and cocoyam. Yellow and orange-fleshed varieties contain more total phenolics and also more provitamin A carotenoids than noncolored fleshed ones. The contents in total phenolic and carotenoid greatly vary with the species and variety. The influence of pre and postharvest conditions on micronutrient content is discussed. Further studies on new processing methods are needed to maximize polyphenols and carotenoids retention in the foods and increase the bioaccessibility of these compounds. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This paper provides information on the nutritional quality of starchy tropical fruits and tubers. Nutritional quality is studied from the point of view of providing energy and bioactive compounds. The paper aims to promote the use of local resources in tropical areas, which could ultimately limit the adverse effects of food globalization on noncommunicable disorders. It could also lead to tropical countries being less dependent on food imports.

Nutritional value and antioxidant compounds during the ripening and after domestic cooking of bananas and plantains

Genotypes of bananas and plantains have been studied for biofortification purposes, mainly due to content of resistant starch (RS) and polyphenols. This study aims to identify banana and plantain genotypes with a high content of resistant starch, phenolic compounds and minerals, and to evaluate the impact of the ripening stage and domestic thermal processing to select superior genotypes with high levels of functional compounds. In this study, it was used bunches of bananas and plantain genotypes. The phenolic compounds profiles were determined by HPLC-DAD in pulps and peels. The resistant starch and the minerals (K, Na, Zn, Cu and Fe) were evaluated in pulps and peels of unripe fruit. The results of phenolic compounds were studied in three ripening stages, and after thermal processing (ripe stage) of two genotypes, which were most promising for biofortification studies. Resistant starch and minerals were analysed in the unripe fruits. The peel biomass showed the highest values of phenolic compounds and minerals. The total starch content in the pulp varied from 42.3% ('FC06-02') to 80.6% ('Pelipita'). Plantains and cooking bananas presented the highest contents of starch and resistant starch (stage 2 - green with yellow traces). The pulps of the dessert genotypes 'Khai' and 'Ouro da Mata', and cooking genotype 'Pacha Nadam' stood out due to their minerals high contents (P, K and Fe; Zn and Fe; Ca, Mg and Zn, respectively). The dessert bananas (e.g., 'Ney Poovan') and cooking bananas (e.g., 'Tiparot') had the highest concentrations of phenolic compounds, mainly in ripe fruit (stage 5 - yellow with green). In addition, the thermal processing of Musa spp. fruit led to increasing these secondary metabolites, mainly the cooking of fruit with peel by boiling, which should be preferred in domestic preparations.

Effect of LED irradiation on the ripening and nutritional quality of postharvest banana fruit

BACKGROUND

With the ability to tailor wavelengths necessary to the photosynthetically active radiation spectrum of plant pigments, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) offer vast possibilities in horticultural lighting. The influence of LED light irradiation on major postharvest features of banana was investigated. Mature green bananas were treated daily with selected blue (464-474 nm), green (515-525 nm) and red (617-627 nm) LED lights for 8 days, and compared with non-illuminated control.

RESULTS

The positive effect of LED lighting on the acceleration of ripening in bananas was greatest for blue, followed by red and green. Under the irradiation of LED lights, faster peel de-greening and flesh softening, and increased ethylene production and respiration rate in bananas were observed during storage. Furthermore, the accumulations of ascorbic acid, total phenols, and total sugars in banana fruit were enhanced by LED light exposure.

CONCLUSION

LED light treatment can induce the ripening of bananas and improve their quality and nutrition potential. These findings might provide new chemical-free strategies to shorten the time to ripen banana after harvest by using LED light source. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Development of Metal-Organic Framework for Gaseous Plant Hormone Encapsulation To Manage Ripening of Climacteric Produce

Controlled ripening of climacteric fruits, such as bananas and avocados, is a critical step to provide consumers with high-quality products while reducing postharvest losses. Prior to ripening, these fruits can be stored for an extended period of time but are usually not suitable for consumption. However, once ripening is initiated, they undergo irreversible changes that lead to rapid quality loss and decay if not consumed within a short window of time. Therefore, technologies to slow the ripening process after its onset or to stimulate ripening immediately before consumption are in high demand. In this study, we developed a solid porous metal-organic framework (MOF) to encapsulate gaseous ethylene for subsequent release. We evaluated the feasibility of this technology for on-demand stimulated ripening of bananas and avocados. Copper terephthalate (CuTPA) MOF was synthesized via a solvothermal method and loaded with ethylene gas. Its crystalline structure and chemical composition were characterized by X-ray diffraction crystallography, porosity by N2 and ethylene isotherms, and morphology by electron microscopy. The MOF loaded with ethylene (MOF-ethylene) was placed inside sealed containers with preclimacteric bananas and avocados and stored at 16 °C. The headspace gas composition and fruit color and texture were monitored periodically. Results showed that this CuTPA MOF is highly porous, with a total pore volume of 0.39 cm(3)/g. A 50 mg portion of MOF-ethylene can absorb and release up to 654 μL/L of ethylene in a 4 L container. MOF-ethylene significantly accelerated the ripening-related color and firmness changes of treated bananas and avocados. This result suggests that MOF-ethylene technology could be used for postharvest application to stimulate ripening just before the point of consumption.