A 12-day experimental study reveals the role of natural oils in reducing banana spoilage

One of the major challenges facing the agricultural sector is reserving the post-harvest quality of fruits. Significant economic losses can be caused by rapid ripening and deterioration in tropical fruits, such as bananas which are among the world’s most important staple crops. Bananas are highly prone to spoilage during transportation, storage, and marketing because of their high sensitivity to post-harvest degradation. 

Developing natural and effective means to prolong the shelf life of these products has become an exigent necessity to minimise post-harvest losses and strengthen food security. This is due to the fact that both local and global markets depend heavily on fruit quality for appearance, taste, and nutritional value. 

The use of natural edible coatings has become as a promising alternative technology to mitigate post-harvest loss. It is evident that replacing synthetic waxes that have become widely used in many agricultural commodities is consistent with the pursuit of sustainable and eco-friendly solutions. For example, plant-based oils have demonstrated effective properties as natural compounds that can form protective external coatings to reduce moisture loss and slow down the ripening process. 

Within this framework, Dr. Laila Al-Yahyaei and her research team from Sultan Qaboos University conducted a recent study to examine the effectiveness of olive oil and moringa oil (Moringa peregrina) as natural edible coatings for protecting banana fruits from spoilage and improving their quality during storage. The study involved two banana varieties stored under different temperature conditions. 

The major aim of the research is to assess the extent to which these edible oils can delay the physical and chemical changes that occur in bananas over time and their shelf life. Therefore, two banana varieties – Cavendish and Milk Banana – were coated with olive oil and moringa oil. The uncoated samples served as the control group. All samples were stored at two different temperatures (15°C and 25°C) over a period of 12 days. During this time, key quality indicators, such as weight loss, firmness, colour change, acidity, and total soluble solids, were regularly measured. 

The findings demonstrated a clear advantage for the coated samples. Compared with the uncoated controls, coated samples showed greater resistance to ripening indicators. The coating effect was particularly evident at the lower storage temperature as it significantly reduced the rate of weight loss. Moreover, the coated bananas retained their firmness and green coloration for a longer duration.  

From a chemical standpoint, the coatings contributed to the stabilisation of internal fruit components and helped maintain higher mineral content, mainly in the Cavendish variety. After the 12-day storage period, bananas treated with natural oils preserved an attractive and acceptable overall quality. This confirms the efficacy of the natural coatings.  

The study concluded that using olive oil or moringa oil as natural edible coatings represents an effective method to extend the storage life of bananas. This technique offers a promising step towards developing more efficient and sustainable strategies for managing supply chains of fresh agricultural produce.