Abstract
The experiment consisted of ten treatments some of which are: teff straw, banana leaf, perforated and non-perforated polyethylene bag. KMnO4 or 1-MCP was found in polyethylene (perforated or non-perforated) and 1-MCP treated fruits were kept in open air as control. Banana fruits were assessed for important physical and chemical quality. Banana fruits treated with 1-MCP showed better fruit quality. Perforated polyethylene + 1-MCP treatment kept more percentage of fruits marketable compared to the control treatment. Polyethylene bags maintained more marketable fruits than teff straw and banana leaf. However, teff straw and banana leaf as packaging materials performed better than open air storage. KMnO4 combined with the polyethylene bags had performance than polyethylene bag alone. Perforated polyethylene bag packaged fruits were able to maintain quality better than non perforated polyethylene with or without the inclusion of the chemicals. The result showed that 1-MCP combined with perforated polyethylene packaging extended shelf life of banana for over two weeks without much loss in marketability.
Key words: Banana, 1-Methylcyclopropene, teff straw, polyethylene, chemical quality, physical quality.
