Use of Waste Banana Stem for the Synthesis of Carboxymethyl Cellulose‐Based Coating Formulation for Preservation of Tomatoes

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Abstract
Every year, approximately 40% of post‐harvest fruits and vegetables are spoiled as a consequence of inadequate storage facilities and poor logistics, including substandard packaging, handling, and transportation. Application of organic coating on the surface of fruits and vegetables extends the shelf‐life of them. The spoilage of fruits and vegetables not only results in monetary losses but also poses a waste management challenge. This study demonstrated the use of extracted cellulose from waste biomass (banana stem) for the preparation of coating formulation. Extraction yield of cellulose from banana stem was found to be 28.52% with > 90% purity. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of distinctive cellulose bands in the transmittance spectrum, and XRD analysis had shown the crystallinity index 78.32% in the extracted cellulose. Extracted cellulose was converted into carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with a degree of substitution of 1.89. Coating formulations were prepared with the synthesized CMC and applied to the locally grown tomatoes. Different physicochemical characteristics of the tomatoes were evaluated to estimate the efficiency of the applied coating. Application of coating formulation on the tomatoes had shown increase in the shelf‐life of 12 days at room temperature and 18 days at 4 ° C. This technique is helpful to reduce health hazards, lessen environmental pollution, and increase agricultural sector profitability.

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