Value added products from banana

Banana is the common name for a type of fruit and also the herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. Banana is amongst the most versatile and most widely eaten fruits in the world today. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colours when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red. Bananas can be eaten raw though some varieties are generally cooked first. Depending upon cultivar and ripeness, the flesh can vary in taste from starchy to sweet, and texture from firm to mushy. nripe or green bananas and plantains are used for cooking various dishes such as banana pudding and are the staple starch of many tropical populations. Banana sap is extremely sticky and can be used as a practical adhesive. !ap can be obtained from the pseudostem,

from the fruit peelings, or from the fruit flesh. "utritional value of banana #able $ %nergy&' (cal )*+' k,%nergy &' kcal )*+' k/0arbohydrates 4at 5rotein Vitamin B$ Vitamin B1 Vitamin B* Vitamin 0 5otassium 7ealth benefits of banana

"utritional value per $'' g )*.. oz-

11.23 g '.** g $.'& g '.'*$ mg '.'+* mg '.66. mg 2.+ mg *.2 mg

Bananas are rich source of energy since it contains sugars such as fructose, glucose and sucrose. Bananas are rich source of iron helpful in preventing anemia. Bananas contain an amino acid called 8tryptophan9 which is converted into serotonin helping to improve the mood of the depressed persons. %ating banana helps to alleviate the depressed mood. Because of its fiber )pectin- content it relieves constipation and diarrhoea. :t is found from research that bananas can prevent age related loss of sight to a certain degree. Bananas help absorption of calcium from the gut thereby preventing osteoporosis. #hey maintain kidney health and help in prevention of cancer of the kidney. Because of its high content of potassium it controls high blood pressure. Bananas control hyper acidity and heart burn. :t is believed that banana milk shake controls the hang over syndrome in alcoholics. :t maintains electrolyte balance of the body because of its content of potassium. #he banana fruit peels relieve irritation and swelling of the mos;uito bites if rubbed on the affected part. %ating banana reduce the risk strokes by 3'<.

Value added products of banana !hort shelf life and increased production necessitates development of non= conventional products from banana. > wide range products can be processed from banana. >mong the products highlighted are puree, ,uice, flour, ,am, powder, vinegar, confectionery ,elly, pectin, breaded banana which have wide commercialization. B>">"> 5 ?%% @ Bananas for puree production ideally should be harvested at the point of maturity. ?ipened bananas at colour index 6 and + are selected and washed thoroughly to remove adhering dirt and any chemical residue that may be present. Bananas are then blanched with either food grade steam or boiling water until a centre temperature of &*A0 is reached. > medium size, unpeeled banana re;uires $' to $. minutes to attain this temperature. Blanched bananas are then cooled and peeled. #he puree is then obtained by passing peeled blanched bananas in communition machines. Banana puree has an attractive colour, fine texture and retain its fruity flavour. Banana puree developed must be further treated to ensure their preservation until the moment of final utilization and processing. #he puree can be frozen, canned or aseptically packed. #he puree is used for beverage industry, baby foods, snack foods, ,am and sauces.

B>">"> 5BCD%? @ Banana powder has a great potential for commercialization. :t has a high sugar and low starch content and can be used as a substitute for fresh banana in making traditional cakes or their premixes as well as in the processing of banana snacks, crackers or crisps. Banana puree processing is the first step in banana powder processing, followed by drying. Dood ;uality puree with proper drying produces good ;uality powder. !poilage due to microbial and enzymic activity is greatly reduced at the moisture level of +.'< but caking is easily developed in banana powder during storage if improper packaging materials are used for the purpose due to its high sugar content. #he ;uality of banana powder is determined by the colour, flavour, texture and moisture content. #hese are affected by the varieties of bananas and processing operations specially blanching process. Dood ;uality powder is produced from the bananas of right variety and degree of ripeness. :mmature or overripe fruits should be excluded from the bulk. Blanching is an important step in banana powder processing for controlling discolouration in the product. #here are two main types of colour changes@ discolouration caused by either tin or zinc present in the peel rags and browning due to a very active oxidative enzymes. #he optimum activity of the enzymes responsible for discolouration is around p7 +.*. B>">"> 4EB ? @ Banana flour is completely different from banana powder because it is the product which is obtained after drying and then grinding of the unripe banana at colour index $ and 1. #his product has high starch content but the starch contains no gluten. #he banana flour developed has no banana flavour but it can be used as flour in the processing of snack foods and bakery products with the addition of other flavourings. :ts demand can be increased by proper marketing. #here is a good scope for a new entrepreneur wanting to start a new and novel enterprise. B>">"> />M @ Banana with sweet taste, fine flavour and texture can be processed into excellent ,am. #he processing of the product is basically similar to that of other fruit ,am. Banana puree having total soluble solid and p7 value in the range of 13=16A Brix and 3.3=3.6 respectively are the main ingredients used in the processing of banana ,am. #he proportion of banana puree, sugar, pectin and citric acid used

in the processing of banana ,am should be given special emphasis in order to produce a clear and fine texture ,am. Banana ,am has a good shelf=life. Machinery to be installed and used@ 5ulper, /uice %xtractors, MixerFDrinders, 0ap !ealing Machines, !licers, Bottle Cashing Machine B>">"> !> 0% @ Banana sauce is a ready=to=eat to sauce. :t is used for moistening, flavour control and as a garnish to make food more delicious. #he sauce has a strong banana taste and flavour and a dull yellow=red colour. #he total soluble solid content varies from *&=3'ABrix depending on the variety of bananas. :t has a shelf=life of one year when stored in bottles. B>">"> D?:"( @ Banana puree is used extensively in the processing of straight banana drink. #his banana drink needs no dilution before consumption. #he product is pasteurized at &'A0 to destroy microorganisms, molds and yeasts before bottling. :t can also be canned or aseptically packed. #he drink has the total soluble solid content of $1=$*ABrix and p7 of 3.'. #he drink may or may not be sweetened. #he sweetening agent used can either be sucrose or a combination of sucrose and 74D!. :n the enzymatic treated banana drink, pectinase and amylase are added after the acidification process to produce a clear drink. B>">"> V:"%D>? @ Banana vinegar is processed by fermenting the banana ,uice. Vinegar is a commonly used condiment found in all homes as well as food industry for pickling and thus has a wide market. Vinegar should contain at least 3< acetic acid. 0ommonly used strains of acetic acid bacteria for vinegar production are Acetobacter aceti and Acetobacter rancens. #he production of vinegar by fermentation is a two=stage process. #he first involves the alcoholic fermentation of sugar substrate by yeast, usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce alcohol and carbon=di=oxide. #his is followed by the production of acetic acid and water from the alcohol by Acetobacter sp in the presence of oxygen. #he alcoholic fermentation normally takes about a week while the acetification stage takes $=1 months.

Vinegar

Banana Drink

Machinery used for banana products processing 5lant and Machinery (eeping in mind the overall size of the market and the financial viability or economics of the pro,ect, it is suggested to have rated production capacity of *'' tonnes per year with *'' working days and working of 1 shift every day. #o facilitate installation of this capacity, the following set of machineries will be needed @ Baby boiler, steam ,acketed kettles, washing tanks, pulper, stirrers, vacuum filling machines, bottle washing machines, crown corking machines, and concentration tank. :tem Baby Boiler !team /acketed (ettles Cashing #anks 5ulper !tirrers Vacuum 4illing Machines Bottle Cashing Machines 0rown 0orking Machines 0oncentration #ank 5recision Ceighing !cale Guantity $ * 1 $ * 1 1 1 $ $ #otal 0ost )?s..',''' &',''' $.,''' *.,''' 3.,''' 3.,''' *',''' +,''' 1',''' $','''

Bther auxillary e;uipments like weighing scale, glassware, working tables, canteen burners, stainless steel utensils, hand=gloves, cutters and graters, storage racks etc. are also re;uired. #esting e;uipments like ,ellmeter, refractometer etc. would be an additional re;uirement. %xpenditure of ?s. $,'','''F= is considered for other assets like aluminium top working tables, furniture and fixtures, plastic bucketsFtubs, storage rack and bins, !! utensils etc Building@ #he main production block will cost around ?s. $$.2* lakhs. #he entire building may be divided into zones for utilizing the facilities efficiently. #he development of a wide range of products from bananas will create more interest to the processors to diversify their processing lines and to produce banana products with their better presentation, packaging and improved overall appearance of the products. #his will not only substitute or reduce the importance of other fruit products which have been flooding the :ndian market for many years, but will also help to capture international markets. Most potential products for commercialization will, therefore, provide new scope for the expansion of the local fruit industry. Ms. !wamy Dabriela /ohn, ::: B.#ech 4ood #echnology, (ongu %ngineering 0ollege, 5erundurai, %rode H 6*2'.1 %=mail @ swamygabriela,ohnIyahoo.com
"ote@ #he author may have used various references in the preparation of this article. 4or further details please contact himFher. Disclaimer@ >rticles J information in the e=zine !cience #ech %ntrepreneur contain views expressed by individual authors or are taken from various sources !cience #ech %ntrepreneur does not own any responsibility for their authenticity.