Vol. 7, Issue 6 (2018)

Author(s):
Ravinder Singh, Ravinder Kaushik and Saurabh Gosewade

Abstract:
Banana is among the world’s leading fruit crops. Banana serves as ideal food among low cost foods and serves nutrients to 4-5 billion population residing in developing country. Banana normally has a short shelf life and start deteriorating just after plucking. The quality of the bananas get further lowered during transhipment to the markets. Over and above over ripening is also a big problem. In order to overcome these problems, the processing of banana must be encouraged. Very small portion of total bananas production undergo industrial processing. Plantain and unripe banana are cooked as vegetable, chips, snacks, powder etc., whereas, mature dessert banana is eaten raw. Characterizing bananas, their processed products and processed consumption forms is necessary to enhance its processing. This will enable niche markets for this major crop, undifferentiated product flows of which are in competition on the world- wide market, to be structured on an objective qualitative basis. This will improve the market efficiency and income to the farmers on one hand and generate employment on the other hand. This review discusses usefulness of banana fruits, peel, leaves, and prospects of using these materials in industry.