EVALUATING THE EFFICACY OF THE ALOE VERA-BASED EDIBLE COATING COMBINED WITH LEMON OIL OR GARLIC OIL IN EXTENDING THE SHELF LIFE OF DWARF CAVENDISH BANANA

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of the aloe vera - based edible coating (75%) combined with different lemon oil concentrations (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0%) or garlic oil levels (0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 and 0.25%) in extending the shelf life of bananas stored at 22 °C. The results indicated that increasing the lemon oil and garlic oil concentration from 0.2% to 0.4% and 0.05% to 0.15% led to an extended storage duration; however, a further increase beyond 0.4 - 1.0% and 0.15 - 0.25%, respectively resulted in a decline in shelf-life extension. The data showed that the edible coating containing 0.4% of lemon oil and 0.15% of garlic oil exhibited the most effective quality preservation, as reflected in key parameters including total acidity (0.0186 ± 0.0013% vs 0.0219 ± 0.0016%), total dissolved solid content (19.00 ± 0.40% vs 18.13 ± 0.23%), mass loss (15.81 ± 0.023% vs 15.32 ± 0.006%), firmness (618.90 ± 4.11 kg/cm³ vs 630.60 ± 1.26 kg/cm³), and color difference (ΔE = 15.43 ± 0.70 vs 15.70 ± 0.22). These findings demonstrate the potential of the aloe vera-based coatings incorporated with lemon oil or garlic oil as a viable postharvest preservation technique for bananas, offering an environmentally friendly and consumer-safe alternative. The application of this coating technology could benefit stakeholders, including banana producers, processing companies, distributors, etc. by enhancing fruit quality and extending marketability.