Physical, chemical and nutritional evaluation of flours prepared with pulp and peel of green banana from different varieties

Abstract

Processing of green fruits for flour production can be considered an option to minimize post-harvest losses and add value to the product. This study aimed to evaluate the physical, chemical and nutritional composition of flours prepared with pulp and peel of green banana from different varieties. Silver bananas, plantains, and apple bananas were used to produce the flours. Drying was carried out in an oven at 105 °C for 12 hours. Analyses of pH, moisture, ash, carbohydrate, protein, lipid, fiber and starch contents were performed. All the flours produced showed adequate moisture content. As for fiber content, the flours prepared with all banana varieties presented good results, which was due to the fact that the peel was preserve in their production. High starch content was observed for plantains and apple bananas, which reinforces the large amount of starch found in the green fruit. All flours had low caloric value. The results showed the feasibility of using green banana flour) prepared with pulp and peel of these varieties mainly because of the fiber content, thus validating the present study. It is also worth mentioning the importance of producing green banana flour with peel, aiming to maintain a greater amount of nutrients, sometimes found in the peel, as well as enabling the full use of the fruit.