Freezing of banana slices. Influence of maturity level an 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.