Influence of packaging and storage conditions on quality parameters and shelf life of solar-dried banana

摘要

Effects of packaging materials (metalized or polylactic acid, PLA, based pouches), storage temperatures (30-50°C) and time (up to 6 months) on quality of solar-dried banana were investigated. At 30°C in both packaging materials, change in moisture content, water activity (a w ) and hardness were minimal while darkening of the surface color progressed. No microbial spoilage was found. Hedonic scores of color, flavor, taste, texture and overall acceptance of the 6 th month aged samples were lowest (p . 0.05). Based on the sensory test, product packed in both packaging materials had shelf life of 5 months at 30°C. Higher storage temperature greatly induced time-dependent decrease in moisture content and a w with an increase in hardness, especially for the samples in PLA-based pouches. Fractional conversion model was used to predicted time-dependent change in total color difference ( . E) (R 2 . 0.84). Temperature dependence of the rate constant followed Arrhenius-type relationship (R 2 . 0.99).