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1. Cleaning, sorting and grading of banana Next

2. Introduction Cleaning Cleaning refers to chlorine washing of the banana fruit for the removal of undesirable material including latex, chemicals, adhering soil particles along with the microorganisms carried by the soil. Sorting Sorting in banana would refer to removal of overripe, injured, bruised, rotten, diseased, infected and cut fruits. Grading Grading in banana fruit would refer to categorization of fruits based on number & size of fingers in each hand.

3. Sequence of postharvest operations in banana Rinsing in water & trimming of crowns Harvesting Cleaning with Chlorine water Grading Fungicides & Alum treatment Delatexing of hands Marketing & Consumer Packaging Storage & Ripening

4. Harvesting of Banana fruit Source: www.offbeatenough.com

5. Colour Guide for Post harvest Handling of Banana fruit Source: http://arbolatrading.com/IRS%20-%20BANANAS.pdf

6. Colour Guide for Post harvest Handling of Banana fruit Source: http://arbolatrading.com/IRS%20-%20BANANAS.pdf

7. Cleaning and delatexing of banana http://www.voltariver.com/images/organic/organic-land-.jp http://www.caminantecuatoriana.files.wordpress.com201107p1050966.jpg

8. Cleaning, Delatexting & Fungicide treatment Banana fruits are immersed in a huge tank of fresh water for about 30 min (Sodium hypochlorate is an effective solvent) and ‘delatexed’ - in other words the latex on them is washed away. In order to protect fruit against fungal attack (especially during rainy season) which causes crown rot during shipment, the crowns are treated with fungicide involving spraying the banana fruit. Care taken during fungicide spray: Permissible (i.e. not prohibited) for use on the crop after harvest; effective in controlling the post-harvest diseases; used in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions and at their recommended concentrations (excessive residues on produce may lead to its rejection); agitated continuously during use to prevent its settling out. Care must be taken that employees using fungicides observe all the precautions applicable to their use and that they wear the necessary protective clothing.

9. Sorting and Grading of banana

10. Sorting and Grading of banana Source: www.josefpolleross.com/23_Ecuadr,%20Bananas.jpg Diseased damaged and undesirable fruits are separated from the lot. Generally fruits are categorized based on their size and colour and stage of maturity.

11. Grading in banana • Mainly based on size, colour and maturity of the fruits. • Smaller fruits are separated from the larger ones to achieve uniform ripening. • Immature, overripe, damaged and diseased fruits are discarded. • The fruits are generally harvested early in the season at a pre-mature stage to capture early market. • Ethylene application is the best method to hasten ripening without loss in fruit quality and flavour. • Mature fruits are ripened with lower doses of ethrel for uniform colour development (slow ripening under controlled condition at 150-180 C).

12. AGMARK Standards for grading of banana fruit 1. Bananas shall be obtained from Varieties (cultivars) of Musa. spp. of the Musaceae family. 2. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS (i) Bananas shall be : (a) whole (taking the finger as the reference), (b) firm, (c) sound, (d) clean, free of any visible foreign matter, (e) free of bruisings, (f) free of pests affecting the general appearance of produce, (g) with the stalk intact, without bending, fungal damage or dessication, (h) with pistils removed, (i) free of malformation or abnormal curvature of the fingers, (j) free of damage caused by low temperature, (k) free of abnormal external moisture excluding condensation following removal from cold storage and bananas packed under modified atmosphere condition, (l) free of any foreign smell and/or taste. (ii) In addition, hands and clusters must include: - a sufficient portion of the crown of normal colouring, sound and free of fungal contamination, - a cleanly cut crown, not bevelled or torn, with no stalk fragments. (iii) Bananas shall comply with the residue levels of heavy metals, Pesticides and other food safety parameters as laid down by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for exports

13. 3. Criteria for grade designation:

14. 3. Criteria for grade designation: -cont-

15. Other requirements • (i) The development and condition of the bananas must be such as to enable them: • - to reach the appropriate stage of physiological maturity corresponding to the particular characteristics of the variety, • - to withstand transport and handling, and • - to arrive in satisfactory condition at the place of destination in order to ripen satisfactorily. • (ii) Bananas must be presented in hands and clusters (parts of hands) of atleast four fingers. Bananas may also be presented as single finger. • - Clusters with no more than two missing fingers are allowed, provided the stalk is not torn but clearly cut, without damage to the neighboring fingers. • - Not more than one cluster of three fingers with the same characteristics as the other fruit in the package may be present per row.

16. Cleaning, sorting and grading of banana Let us sum up • Banana is one of the most is the most important fruit crops of India. It is available through out the year in the country. • Drying, curing, sorting and grading are important operations in potato after harvesting • Cleaning of potato refers to removal of undesirable material i.e. adhering soil alongwith the microorganisms carried by the soil while, Sorting in potato would refer to removal of rotten, diseased, infected and cut fruits. • Grading in potato would refer to categorization of fruits based mostly on their size / weight into 4 to 6 categories through rectangular sieves. Previous End