Review of banana green life throughout the food chain: From auto-catalytic induction to the optimisation of shipping and storage conditions

•Green-life (GL) is the period between harvesting and initiation of the climacteric phase.•GL is a key quality parameter to ensure a good export potential of banana.•Ethylene is the key compound to optimize GL during shipping and storage.•Field practices management is crucial to avoid GL reduction.•Several technologies are available to better control GL. Banana green life (GL) is the time between harvesting and the start of natural ripening. GL could be considered as a major quality criterion, as it defines whether or not a fruit is suitable for export and marketing. The ending of GL, when climacteric crisis occurs, is characterized by autocatalytic ethylene production. Ethylene synthesis and regulation are described. The main methods for determining Gl are based on detecting the CO2 peak or a decrease in green pigments, using a spectrometer (NDVI) for the latter. Temperatures during fruit growth and Black Sigatoka disease are the main pre-harvest factors affecting GL. The former can be managed by applying the thermal sums concept and the latter by adequate field practices. The effects of the main exogenous storage parameters (storage temperature, relative humidity, concentration of ethylene and O2/CO2 ratio in the atmosphere) could be modelled in some cases. The most effective solutions for extending GL rely on either developing coatings using new preservative compounds, or designing packaging capable of controlling the temperature, CO2/O2 ratio and ethylene concentrations in the environment close to the fruits. It was demonstrated that 1-MCP is not relevant for increasing GL. A global and integrated approach involving the overall optimization of pre- and post-harvest factors needs to be applied to maintain green fruit until voluntary/artificial ripening is induced.