Fruit quality assessment of Cardaba banana (Musa acuminata x balbisiana) (ABB) at different harvest month using color index

The Cardaba/Saba (Musa acuminate x balbisiana) (ABB) is a traditional Filipino staple cooking banana used as an ingredient to food or as dessert. Ironic to its ubiquity, there is a lack of studies on good production system. There is an expanded, market- driven demand for these cultivars for banana chips, and farm gate price has been on the rise since 1990. The high nutritional value of banana, low glycemic index (GI) rating makes it a health food gaining world acceptance in a rapidly expanding snack food market. Producing high quality mature fingers that conform to the grade and size standards required of particular market will increase the value of produce, benefiting even smallhold growers. This study monitor the changes in quality of Cardaba/Saba banana across different harvest dates in Lucena, Quezon [Philippines] from March 2019. Mature bananas harvested are tagged and fruit size calibrated to satisfy the criteria of good quality bananas contained in PNS/BAFPS 08:2004 (for fresh fruit- Saba and Cardaba Banana- standard establishes a system of grading and classifying 'Saba' and 'Cardaba' type bananas produced in the Philippines) i.e., length of the middle finger of the second hand from the peduncle must have 12-15 cm and the diameter must be 4.0-4.5 cm. Ripening of harvested fruits were monitored and analyzed in the PHTRC, UPLB [Postharvest Training and Resource Center, University of the Philippines Los Baños]. Four hands from four bunches were assessed guided by the Banana Color Index of USDA. The fruit quality parameters assessed are pulp-peel ratio, total soluble solids, pulp pH, titratable acidity and firmness. Preliminary results showed that as ripening progresses pulp-peel ratio increases, while fruit firmness decreases. Titratable acidity and total soluble solids were also observed to have an increasing trend. Pulp pH ranged from 5.80 to 6.60. significant changes during fruit ripening was observed on the shifting of color index (CI) from CI 2 to CI 3.