Prickly pear wax extends banana shelf life after harvest

Postharvest deterioration of bananas during ambient storage is typically driven by rapid ripening, moisture loss, softening, discoloration, and microbial spoilage, all of which contribute to significant economic losses.

To address these issues, researchers evaluated a biodegradable edible coating made from natural wax extracted from Opuntia spp. (prickly pear) cladodes. Freshly harvested bananas were coated with the wax and stored at 25 ± 2 °C, while uncoated fruit served as the control. Quality parameters were monitored over a nine-day storage period.

The coated bananas ripened more slowly and showed significantly less surface browning than the untreated fruit. By the end of storage, coated bananas maintained a lower discoloration index, indicating better visual quality retention.

Weight loss was also substantially reduced. Coated fruit lost roughly 9 % of its weight compared with about 16 % in the uncoated controls. Firmness retention was markedly improved as well, with coated bananas maintaining values around 20 N versus approximately 10 N in the control fruit.

Microbial decay incidence was significantly lower in the coated bananas. At the end of the storage period, about 30 % of coated fruit showed decay symptoms, compared with roughly 60 % of the untreated controls.

The researchers attribute these benefits to the semi-permeable barrier created by the prickly pear wax, which helps regulate gas exchange, reduce transpiration, and slow the respiration rate of the fruit. Overall, the study suggests that prickly pear wax is a sustainable, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly postharvest coating capable of extending banana shelf life and reducing storage losses under ambient conditions.

Source

Poomalaisundar, K. R., Sugumaran, P., Sengottaiyan, N., Sivakumar, P., Murthi, J. S., Ramanujam, A. K., Mani, J., & Kumar, H. (2026). Physico mechanical evaluation and postharvest shelf-life enhancement of banana fruit via prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) wax coatings. Journal of Food Science and Technology. Springer.