Ripening responses of bananas to temperature

Abstract

Experiments with summer grown autumn maturing fruit of Cavendish bananas (cv. Williams) studied skin colour and pulp firmness responses to different ripening and post-ripening temperatures. In 1972 fruit was ripened at 15, 17 and 19¦C and subsequently held at 15, 21 and 27¦C. Times were determined for this fruit to reach colour stages 4, 6 and 8, and the relationships between pulp firmness at colour 6 and times taken to reach this colour were established. This procedure was repeated in another trial in 1973 but the 19¦C ripening temperature was omitted, and times were determined to reach colours 4 to 7 inclusive. The life of fruit after ripening was mainly determined by the temperature at which ripening was commenced. Holding temperatures after ripening had little influence on shelf life. Fruit was adversely affected when ripened at 15 or 17¦C and subsequently removed to temperatures 10¦C or greater above the ripening temperature. Ripening at 17¦C combined relatively fast outturn of fruit with moderate shelf life and pulp firmness.