Folasade Kemisola OLUFEMI-SALAMI

Author    Correspondence author
Plant Gene and Trait, 2026, Vol. 17, No.   
Received: 01 Jan., 1970    Accepted: 01 Jan., 1970    Published: 28 Aug., 2026

Food packaging is critical for sustaining nutritional and functional quality of stored food. Polyethene serves as a major packaging material in food industries. However, empirical evidence regarding how specific polyethylene characteristics dictate micronutrient stability during storage remains scarce. This study evaluated the effects of polyethylene color (black vs. transparent) and gauge thickness (40 μm vs. 60 μm) on the retention of essential minerals (Fe, Ca, Zn, P), vitamins, and antioxidant properties in stored plantain flour. French plantain (Musa paradisiaca) fruits were obtained, processed into powder. Samples of flour were packaged and stored under ambient conditions of 25 ± 5 o C temperature and 75 ± 5 % relative humidity for 4 weeks in the laboratory. After storage period standard assays were used to quantify the Fe, Ca, Zn, P, vitamins, and antioxidant properties in stored plantain flour. The results shows that both packaging color and thickness significantly influenced (p < 0.05) nutrient retention in the stored flours. Vitamin B6 were preserved better Black High-Density Polyethylene (BHP), whereas Vitamin B9 stability was maximized in Transparent High-Density Polyethylene (THP). Flour stored in Thin Transparent Polyethylene (TLP) exhibited the highest 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (664.65 mg/kg) but the lowest total phenolic content (36.86 mg/kg). The preservation of Fe, Ca, and P was observed to be better in BHP. These findings demonstrate that no single packaging configuration optimally preserves the entire nutritional indices monitored, rather, packaging optimization must be strategically aligned with the specific target micronutrients of interest.