The fruit of most banana cultivars, if over-ripe, show
brown spots on the peel. These spots enlarge, merge and
eventually result in browning of the entire peel. The presence
of peel spots in these cultivars is indicative of a decrease in
eating quality, as the flesh has already become too soft by
the time of spotting. In contrast, fruit of some cultivars, for
example, ‘Sucrier’ (Musa acuminata, AA Group), exhibit
early peel spotting, concomitant with maximum eating
quality of the flesh (Marriott, 1980). As many consumers
are not familiar with the relationship between early peel
spotting and eating quality in cultivars such as ‘Sucrier’,
early peel spotting is a major constraint for export and
should be prevented, if possible.