Assessment of Nutritional and Physiochemical properties of Banana Flour

Banana is one of the most important fruit crops of tropical and sub tropical regions. In respect of area India ranks second and first in production only after mango. Considering the nutritive value and fruit value of banana it is the cheapest among all other fruits. Though India is the largest producer of banana, hardly five percent of the produce is processed. A need therefore prevails to develop suitable technology for the processing of the fruit. In the present study, to preserve the fruit for an extended period, Peeled, sliced and treated bananas were oven dried for 18 hrs at 60°c . The dried bananas were ground to make banana powder. The flour was analysed for proximate composition (moisture, protein, carbohydrate, crude fat, energy and fibre). Mineral composition (iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous) β carotene and vitamin c. For the estimations the standard procedures of AOAC 2000 were followed. For assessing the physical properties, the banana flour was assessed for pH, total solids, total sugars, water holding capacity (WHC), oil holding capacity (OHC), and titratable acidity. Banana powder is an excellent source of carbohydrate and is also a concentrarted source of potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. In addition banana powder is rich in dietary fibre too. The physiochemical properties of banana flour make it suitable for incorporating and blending with almost all kinds of recipes.