Assessment of cassava starch biofilm in the quality and shelf life of banana 'prata'

Abstract

Brazil is now the world's fourth-largest banana producer in the world with an annual production of 6.953,747 tons per year. In Brazil, the banana (Musa spp.) stands out, not only because it is the most widespread, but also because it is the most consumed by all social classes. Cassava is a renewable, almost unlimited resource and one of the most abundant substances in nature. It is one of the most important starchy root crops of the tropics used for food and industrial purposes. The present study evaluated the use of biofilms based on cassava starch in maintaining the quality and shelf life of the 'Prata' banana at room temperature. Initially, filmogenic solutions were produced using the casting technique for two treatments. T1 (2.6% starch / 500 mL of distilled water); T2 (2.6% starch / 500 mL of distilled water + 1 g of gelatin). Additionally, thickness, weight, and, subsequently, the biofilms were applied in the film-forming solution for 1 min and suspended for further drying at room temperature. After this process, were evaluated the loss of fresh mass, pH, and totals soluble solids. The present study revealed the efficiency of biofilm coating with and without gelatin to reduce the rate of enzymatic browning and increase the shelf life of bananas. It was possible to verify a smaller reduction in fresh weight loss in the treatments. Besides, no significant difference was observed in the addition of gelatin to the parameters evaluated in the fruit.