Respiration rate modeling of Cavendish banana ( Musa acuminata cv. Cavendish) under various storage temperatures

Cavendish banana (Musa acuminata cv. Cavendish) is a climacteric fruit that is widely consumed worldwide due to its desirable sensory qualities and year-round availability. As a climacteric fruit, it exhibits a characteristically high respiration rate, which accelerates metabolic activity and results in a relatively short shelf life during postharvest handling and distribution. One of the most effective approaches to prolong shelf life is by reducing the respiration rate through low-temperature storage . This study aimed to mathematically model the respiration rate of Cavendish bananas using both the Arrhenius and Michaelis–Menten approaches to better understand the temperature dependence of respiration behavior. The samples were stored at three temperatures: 7, 17, and 27 °C (ambient). Respiration rates were monitored in a closed system at three-hour intervals over a period of three weeks. The results showed that the Arrhenius model effectively described both O₂ consumption and CO₂ production rates, supported by validation tests where the correlation coefficients (R²) were close to one and the Chi-Square p- values exceeded 0.05. Moreover, Michaelis–Menten modeling indicated that a combination of Competitive and Uncompetitive inhibition models provided the best fit compared with other kinetic types. Validation further demonstrated consistently high R² values, Chi-Square p-values greater than 0.05, and low SSE and RMSE values for all samples.