ReviewBananas, raw materials for making processed food products
Introduction
Banana (Musa spp.) cultivation is exclusively tropical (Lassoudière, 2007). Cooked bananas are important portion of food intake for populations in production areas. The dessert banana has a global distribution. Considering the nutrition aspect, it is the world's leading fruit crop, and in terms of economical value it is the number five agricultural crop in world trade. There are nearly 100 banana producing countries. According to the FAO's statistics database (FAOSTAT, 2004), 71 million tonnes of dessert bananas, primarily from the Cavendish subgroup; and 32 million tonnes of plantains were produced in 2004 (Table 1). As well as banana and plantain are among the world's leading fruit crops, there are very few industrial processed products issuing from these tropical productions. In this review, we will focus on the opportunity to develop knowledge on bananas' composition and properties as raw materials for making processed food products.
Section snippets
The banana plant, a large, high-biodiversity, fruit-bearing herb
Banana plants are the world's biggest herbs, grown abundantly in many developing countries. They are considered to be one of the most important sources of energy in the diet of people living in tropical humid regions. Banana is a stenothermic plant, cultivated in hot and wet regions, and bear fruit all year round. There are approximately 1200 seedless fleshy fruit varieties. The fruit stalk, or bunch, is the organ of interest for banana cultivation, primarily for food purposes.
The edible fruit
Harnessing banana plant biodiversity
The creation of disease and pest-resistant varieties is a priority for genetic improvement programmes. This is readily comprehensible in tropical environment, where parasite pressure is exacerbated. Cultivation parameters (such as early production, productivity, wind resistance and fruit conformity) are secondary objectives. Banana plant cultivation for local consumption harnesses a multitude of cultivars suited to different farming situations and uses. Dessert banana cultivars grown for export
Cultivation, harvesting and post-harvest treatments
A period of about 8–13 months exists between planting the banana tree and harvesting bunches, which can contain 100–400 fruits. Optimum harvest date, or flowering-harvest interval, is determined from flowering, according to the climate zone and variety. It takes into account the fruit size: length and grade, which is the diameter measured in the middle part perpendicular to the plane of the fruit's curve. Banana fruits are climacteric, i.e. the transition from end of development to product
Banana production and worldwide trade
There are two main distinct modes of production:
- •
Firstly, an industrial single-cropping, without rotation, which employs many inputs, producing for export. Banana plants' ratio is 900–2000 individuals per hectare. Fruit yields may reach 50–70 tonnes/ha. Export bananas are derived from a highly technical production process, which requires perfect control of the cultivation calendar, so as to harvest the fruit at the optimum stage of maturity, before it passes the green-yellow stage.
- •
Secondly, a
Consumption of bananas and their processed products
Bananas are among the world's leading food crops, after rice, wheat and maize (Table 1). Almost ninety percent of production is consumed in the production areas, especially in the poorest countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. In certain regions, pureed banana is the first solid food given to infants. Annual consumption may be as much as 250 kg per capita in East Africa. Bananas contribute to reducing food insecurity in producer country populations. Their composition, which includes a high
Prospects for research and developments in bananas
In our general context it is important to elaborate new knowledge about bananas, and identify unknown features, to improve their consumption and their processed products.
The growing proportion of processed products in human diet has put the agri-business sector in an important situation of responsibility in terms of public health. Technological development and innovation have considerably increased food safety, food hygiene and products shelf life. However, certain industrial processes and
Conclusions
The products of banana production, which are consumed globally, make this crop an object of common interest. Characterisation must be undertaken of its content and concentration of useful biomolecules. The variety of harvesting methods, post-harvesting treatments and consumption methods used throughout the world make bananas and plantain a useful model for investigating quality and its development in fruits and vegetables, through the processes from field to table. Consumption forms (fresh or
References (101)
- et al.
Slowly digestible cookies prepared from resistant starch-rich lintnerized banana starch
Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
(2007) - et al.
Changes in aromatic components of banana during ripening and air-drying
Lebensmittel-Wissenschaft und-Technology
(2003) - et al.
Physicochemical analysis of mountain bananas from the French West Indies
Scientia Horticulturae
(2006) - et al.
Ultrasound as pre-treatment for drying of fruits: dehydration of banana
Journal of Food Engineering
(2007) - et al.
Chemical and biochemical aspects of developing culinary banana (Musa ABB) ‘Kachkal’
Food Chemistry
(1996) - et al.
Development of shelf-stable banana purée by combined factors: microbial stability
Journal of Food Protection
(1994) - et al.
Alcohol from bananas
Bioresources Technology
(1996) - et al.
Effects of the stage of maturation and varieties on the chemical composition of banana and plantain peels
Food Chemistry
(2007) - et al.
Absorption and disposition kinetics of the dietary antioxidant quercetin in man
Lancet
(1993) - et al.
Preharvest antioxidant activities of tropical fruit and the effect of low temperature storage on antioxidants and jasmonates
Postharvest Biology and Technology
(2005)