Initiation of Ripening

Bananas are climacteric fruit which means that they go through a period of development, which is climaxed by endogenous biosynthesis of ethylene that initiates the ripening process. Bananas are harvested at the pre-climacteric period to facilitate marketing. Fruit are then loaded into ripening rooms and initiated to ripen. Exogenous application of ethylene is commonly used and various methods any systems for its application have been developed. Other methods can be used when ethylene is not appropriate or not readily available. These include some chemical treatments as well as other methods including smoking and damage. All these methods are evaluated and discussed in terms of their effectiveness, economics and safety.