Preface. The origin and development of banana and plantain cultivation. Systems of cultivation and management. Molecular markers, genetic diversity and systematics in Musa. Musa genetics. Banana and plantain breeding. In vitro culture of bananas. Banana morphology - part I: roots and rhizomes. Banana morphology - part II: the aerial shoot. The response of the plant to the environment. Soils. Banana nutrition. Banana diseases. Pests. Harvesting and fruit care. Ripening and biochemistry of the fruit. The nutritional value of bananas. Banana processing. Banana and plantain in the East African highlands. The world banana economy. Index.

Bananas and plantains.

Typical apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) flavour develops during ripening. Maximum endogenous volatile concentration occurs at the climacteric peak but it is not known whether the volatile biosynthetic enzymes are constitutive or induced during the climacteric. Exposing apples to hypoxic conditions induces accumulation of high concentrations of acetaldehyde and ethanol; after return to air ethyl esters are enhanced and non‐ethyl esters decrease. There are differences in degree of ethyl ester enhancement among cultivars. These may be because of: differential activity or synthesis of alcohol acyl CoA transferase (AAT) or alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH); separate iso‐forms of AAT and ADH each with their own substrate specificity; variation in alcohol precursors in different cultivars; or a combination of all three. Volatile production is greater at higher temperatures in the range from 0 to 30°C but exposure to low temperatures (<3°C) for more than 3 months decreases production. Temperature influences the...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01140671.2000.9514136

Factors affecting apple aroma/flavour volatile concentration: A Review

Non-destructive tests on the prediction of apple fruit flesh firmness and soluble solids content on tree and in shelf life

Impact damage of apples during transport and handling

A review of non-destructive methods for quality evaluation and sorting of agricultural products

Mechanical Resonance Within Red Delicious Apples and Its Relation to Fruit Texture

SUMMARY— Firmness in fruits is sometimes evaluated as being the force necessary to attain a given deformation within the product. Since modulus of elasticity is defined as the ratio of stress to strain, it should measure resistance to force and, hence, the firmness of a material. Using a sonic technique, the resonant frequencies of cylindrical specimens of flesh from Valery bananas were measured and Young's modulus of elasticity was calculated. Softening of the banana during ripening was associated with a decrease in Young's modulus of elasticity from 272 × 105 dynes/cm2 at ripeness corresponding to a light green peel color to 85 × 105 dynes/cm2 at the yellow stage. Modulus of elasticity was significantly and directly correlated with starch content, but inversely correlated with luminous reflectance and the logarithm of percent reducing sugars.

An Objective Evaluation of Changes in Firmness of Ripening Bananas Using a Sonic Technique

NEAR-infrared transmittance (T) of individual kernels of corn was measured over the spectral region from 700 to 1100 nm. AOD(950-920)nm and dT/T at 936 nm were linearly correlated with percent moisture in the kernel. Standard errors were about 2 percent for corn with moisture ranging from 8 to 35 percent.

Determination of Moisture in Corn Kernels by Near-Infrared Transmittance Measurements

Instrumentation for Testing the Response of Fruits to Mechanical Impact

MATERIALS & METHODS Research was undertaken to establish relationships between volatile levels in the juice of fresh apples, determined by GLC headspace vapor analysis, and other objective indices of maturity and ripeness. McIntosh apples were tested individually after harvest or following storage and . ripening. Volatile levels in the juice were correlated with titratable acidity, Magness-Taylor firmness and stiffness coefficient values. The stiffness coefficient is derived from nondestructive sonic resonance frequency measurements and has potential value for sorting. Materials and experimental design McIntosh apples were harvested weekly at a commercial orchard in southern Pennsylvania from 3 wk before to 1 wk after normal harvest and at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, from 1 wk before to 1 wk after normal harvest. All fruit were immediately taken to the Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Md., for storage at 0°C and 80-90% relative humidity. Samples were taken for analysis within 1 month and again after 3-4 months’ storage followed by 1 wk at 18-20°C for ripening.

Essex E. Finney

Papers

Mechanical Resonance Within Red Delicious Apples and Its Relation to Fruit Texture

An Objective Evaluation of Changes in Firmness of Ripening Bananas Using a Sonic Technique

Determination of Moisture in Corn Kernels by Near-Infrared Transmittance Measurements

Instrumentation for Testing the Response of Fruits to Mechanical Impact

Volatile composition of mcintosh apple juice as a function of maturity and ripeness indices