FREEZING OF BANANA SLICES - INFLUENCE OF MATURITY LEVEL AND THERMAL-TREATMENT PRIOR TO FREEZING

Freezing preservation of banana (Musa cavendishii, var. enana) was investigated. Microwave treatment of banana slices at 650 watts for 2 min or immersion of whole peeled fruits in boiling water for 11 min followed by freezing at ‐24°C inhibited color deterioration in the frozen product. Treatments showed different effectiveness depending on the enzymatic system studied [polyphenoloxidase (PPO) or peroxidase (POD)] and banana maturity level at the processing date. Blanching in boiling water yielded a good frozen product in which no darkening was observed. The proper stage of ripeness for processing of this banana cultivar was characterized by a firmness of 1.24 kg, a pulp/skin ratio of 1.30 and a green (70%)‐yellow (30%) peel color. Copyright © 1990, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved