Abstract
The purpose of this work was to investigate the physical quality attributes and bioactive compounds in ripe 'Leb Mue Nang' banana fruit (Musa AA group) held at 25 °C and 13 °C, 80% RH. The fruit at the onset of ripening stage were kept at the both temperatures for 16 days. The shelf-life of the fruit held at 25°C was 8 days, by which time black spots had appeared on the skin, while that of the fruit held at 13°C was 16 days with no development of spots. Storage at 13°C maintained both lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) of the skin and the whiteness of pulp whilst the decrease in L* and the increase in b* of the skin were found in the fruit held at 25°C. The firmness was maintained by storage at 13°C. DPPH free radical scavenging (DFRS) activity, ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), total phenolic compounds (TP) decreased during storage; the storage temperatures had no influence on these changes. Total flavonoids (TF) content of the fruit held at 25°C remained constant whilst that of the fruit held at 13°C decreased. These suggest that 13°C is a proper storage temperature maintaining physical quality and extending shelf-life of the banana fruit.
