Preventing enzymatic browning of freshly cut green bananas through immersion in normal water, lemon juice, and coconut water

The rising demand for freshly cut agricultural produce like bananas, apples, pears, potatoes, and roots due to health concerns and modern lifestyles has heightened awareness of their susceptibility to browning, which diminishes their appeal and contributes to food waste. The present study explored the efficacy of natural anti-browning agents in prolonging the quality and shelf-life of freshly cut green banana slices. The bananas underwent treatment with normal water (NW), lemon juice (LJ), and coconut water (CW), and the changes in physicochemical properties, such as browning intensity, color, firmness, total soluble solid (TSS), total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and also microbial attributes, were evaluated during their storage at 4 ± 1°C for 12 days. The results demonstrated significant enhancements in treated samples compared to untreated ones. While normal water and lemon juice-treated banana slices exhibited visual browning during storage, coconut water immersion proved superior in maintaining visual appeal, whiteness, and lightness while delaying yellowing and browning. Coconut water-treated samples also displayed firmer texture (0.75 kg), lower TSS (5.67 °Brix), and reduced weight loss (9.14%) after 12 days, in contrast to samples subjected to lemon juice and normal water treatments which showed lesser texture (0.68 kg, 0.58 kg), higher TSS (5.87 °Brix, 6.10 °Brix), and greater weight loss (11.76%, 16.09%), respectively. Furthermore, coconut water-treated samples retained higher levels of total phenols (392.67 mg GAE (gallic acid equivalent)/100 g FW (fresh weight), total flavonoids (55.67 mg QE (quercetin equivalent)/100 g FW), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity (38.68%). Coconut water treatment also significantly suppressed polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity (14 U/g) compared to lemon juice (16 U/g) and normal water (26 U/g) treatments, and untreated samples (133 U/g) after 12 days. Additionally, microbial load remained within acceptable limits for all samples, with coconut water-treated samples showing the lowest values. Thus, coconut water is a promising natural solution for inhibiting browning and preserving the quality of fresh-cut green banana slices during storage.