Purpose This study aims to shed light on the phenomenon of food waste generation by the food and beverage sector of hotels of Mauritius as well as examine the current status of food waste management.

The rising need for crop diversification to mitigate the impacts of climate change on food security urges the exploration of crop wild relatives (CWR) as potential genetic resources for crop improvement. This study aimed at assessing the diversity of CWR of the Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues and proposing cost-effective conservation measures for their sustainable use. A comprehensive list of the native species was collated from The Mauritius Herbarium and published literature. Each species was assessed for the economic value of its related crop, utilization potential for crop improvement, relative distribution, occurrence status and Red List conservation status, using a standard scoring method for prioritization. The occurrence data of the priority species were collected, verified, geo-referenced and mapped. A total of 43 crop-related species were identified for both islands and 21 species were prioritized for active conservation. The CWR diversity hotspots in Mauritius included Mondrain, followed by Florin and Le Pouce Mountain. Although a wide diversity of CWR has been recorded on both islands, most do not relate to major economic crops in use, therefore only a few species may be gene donors to economic crops at the regional and global level. For example, coffee, a major global beverage crop, has three wild relatives on Mauritius, which could potentially be of interest for future predictive characterization.

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Dopamine level of three banana varieties was determined by spectrophotometry. Dwarf Cavendish banana had the highest browning potential and was used for processing into fresh‐cut slices. The slices were treated with anti‐browning agents, packed at 55% vacuum level and stored at 10C. A 2 × 3 factorial treatment structure was used to investigate the interaction effects between ascorbic acid and calcium chloride. At three‐day intervals, physico‐chemical parameters were investigated. The interaction effect between ascorbic acid and calcium chloride for lightness and redness was significant (P < 0.05); however, these color parameters were mainly driven by the main effect of ascorbic acid (P < 0.01). The interaction effect between ascorbic acid and calcium chloride and the main effect of each chemical on firmness were highly significant (P < 0.01). There was no interaction effect on yellowness (P > 0.05). Browning and loss of firmness were promoted when 4% calcium chloride was used singly and minimized when 2% ascorbic acid was added. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Green bananas are widely used in many cooking dishes and utilized in the manufacture of several industrial food products like banana flour, deep‐fried chips and baked banana crisps. However, one of the major limitations of green peeled bananas as a raw material, to successfully penetrate the market, is the excessive enzymatic browning after peeling. This badly affects the product's color and decreases the quality of the produce. A combination of naturally occurring substances, calcium chloride (2%) and ascorbic acid (2%) significantly minimized enzymatic browning of green peeled bananas under partial vacuum packaging, while retaining the firmness of the produce and maintaining a shelf life of 12 days at 10C.

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