| Abstrakt: |
Banana (Musa sp.) is one of the important fruit crops grown almost in every state of India and ranks fourth in the world as a dietary staple food after rice, wheat and corn. Apart from the fruit, banana crop generates a huge quantity of biomass in the form of pseudostem, leaves, suckers etc. At present, this biomass particularly the pseudostem is an absolute waste in most of the states of India. The banana pseudostem is a thick stalk grows up from the ground and form the backbone of the herbaceous plant. The edible part of the banana stem is the inner portion of the fibrous stalk called as banana centre core. Banana stem is rich in fiber, potassium and vitamin B6 which aid in the treatment of ulcers and in the development of a sport drink, that together benefit the muscles and production of hemoglobin and insulin. In Ayurvedic practices, banana pseudostem is used in weight loss and is also said to be beneficial for overall health in terms of diuretic and to prevent kidney stones. There are reports on the traditional uses of banana stem juice for treating diarrhea, dysentery, diabetes and antioxidant actions. Banana centre core juice is well known remedy for urinary disorders, helps in the treatment for removal of stones in the kidney, gall bladder and prostate, in nervous disorders like epilepsy and hysteria. Several value added products viz., fibre, yarn, fabrics, vermi compost, liquid fertilizer, quality papers, candy and pickles from banana pseudostem have been developed. Equipment package for post-harvest processing of banana pseudostem and central core viz., banana central core slicer, dicer, fibre extraction unit, surface water removal, juicer / grinder and juice squeezer are available. The technology has been developed for minimal processing of banana central core and RTS beverage juice, candy and pickles from banana central core. Studies also have reported microbial fermentation of pseudostem core for bio-ethanol production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
