Do production and storage affect the quality of green banana biomass?

Green banana biomass anti-obesogenic, anti-hyperlipidemic, antidiabetic, and intestinal function potential effects: a systematic review

CONTEXT

Apparently, the consumption of resistant-starch food sources, such as green banana biomass, stimulates the proliferation of short-chain fatty acid intestinal bacteria producers, which can contribute to intestinal health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. However, the available scientific evidence is scarce and no study has systematically evaluated such evidence.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to analyze the potential effects of green banana biomass on anthropometry, body composition, and biochemical and intestinal variables in humans and animals.

DATA SOURCES

The Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline/PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science electronic databases were searched in January 2024 for eligible articles. Studies that tested the effects of cooked peeled or unpeeled green banana on anthropometric, biochemical, and/or intestinal variables were included.

DATA EXTRACTION

This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The classification and assessment of the quality of studies were based on the relevant criteria related to the design of these studies and the quality criteria checklist of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics manual. Twelve studies published between 2001 and 2021 were included in the review.

DATA ANALYSIS

The results of human studies indicate that the ingestion of green banana biomass controlled intestinal dysfunction (50-300 g/day for 5-14 days or 30 g/day for 8 wk) in children, and showed potential anti-obesogenic, anti-hyperlipidemic, and antidiabetic (40 g/day for 24 wk) effects in adults. In rats, biomass consumption led to potential anti-obesogenic (25 g/day for 8 wk), anti-hyperlipidemic, and antidiabetic (∼8-30 g/day for 12 wk) effects.

CONCLUSION

Consumption of green banana biomass seems to exert beneficial effects on intestinal function and potential effects on obesity, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. These effects may be related to increased fecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations as a result of type 3 resistant starch present in biomass.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

Open Science Framework (OSF) (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/TKCWV).

Physical, textural, and sensory characteristics of gluten-free cupcakes developed with native and modified by hydrothermal treatment green plantain flours

Gluten-free diets are characterized by lower nutritional quality. The use of green plantain flour in gluten-free formulations appears as an alternative to overcome this deficiency, considering that green plantains have a relevant content of bioactive compounds, dietary fiber, including resistant starch. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the addition of native and modified by hydrothermal treatment green plantain whole flours in the form of gluten-free cupcakes. The density, yield, and microstructure of the dough, specific volume (SV), height, crumb analysis, color, texture, and sensory acceptability of the cupcakes were evaluated. Partial replacement (40%) of rice flour by native and modified flours produced darker, redder cupcakes, less yellowish and with less color intensity. Sensory analysis revealed higher acceptance for cupcakes with native and modified flours, compared to the control, for appearance, flavor, texture, aroma, and overall acceptance. The native flour was the most viable option, as the cupcake produced with it showed the best values for hardness and chewiness, without changing elasticity and SV, in addition to superior sensory acceptance than the control and similar to cupcakes with other modified flours. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Pursuing to meet the market demand for gluten-free products, with the cake being one of the most requested products in this market, and taking in account that green banana, from different cultivars, has gained interest for the production of flours. The production of flour and bakery products is of great interest to the food industry, not only because of its flavor and properties but also due to the economic and sustainable viability of producing whole green plantain flour with the potential for application, promoting diversification and innovation in the gluten-free functional products market.

Green banana resistant starch: A promising potential as functional ingredient against certain maladies

This review covers the significance of green banana resistant starch (RS), a substantial polysaccharide. The food industry has taken an interest in green banana flour due to its 30% availability of resistant starch and its approximately 70% starch content on a dry basis, making its use suitable for food formulations where starch serves as the base. A variety of processing techniques, such as heat-moisture, autoclaving, microwaving, high hydrostatic pressure, extrusion, ultrasound, acid hydrolysis, and enzymatic debranching treatments, have made significant advancements in the preparation of resistant starch. These advancements aim to change the structure, techno-functionality, and subsequently the physiological functions of the resistant starch. Green bananas make up the highest RS as compared to other foods and cereals. Many food processing industries and cuisines now have a positive awareness due to the functional characteristics of green bananas, such as their pasting, thermal, gelatinization, foaming, and textural characteristics. It is also found useful for controlling the rates of cancer, obesity, and diabetic disorders. Moreover, the use of GBRS as prebiotics and probiotics might be significantly proved good for gut health. This study aimed at the awareness of the composition, extraction and application of the green banana resistant starch in the future food products.

Development of prebiotic yogurt with addition of green-banana biomass (Musa spp.)

This study evaluated the technological viability of yogurt with the addition of green-banana biomass (Musa spp.) considering the resistant starch (BBV) as a potential prebiotic ingredient and texture agent. Four yogurt formulations were prepared: control; 3% BBV; 5% BBV; and 10% BBV. They were subjected to analysis of resistant starch, lactose, fat, total dry extract, defatted dry extract, moisture, ash, proteins, pH and titratable acidity; syneresis analysis, instrumental texture and instrumental color. All four formulations met the requirements of the identity and quality regulation for fermented milks regarding the physicochemical and microbiological parameters. In the instrumental color analysis, in all treatments with added BBV, darkening was observed after 21 days, with a reduction of a* coordinate and an increase of b* coordinate. In the instrumental texture analysis, the yogurt in the Control treatment had the highest firmness (0.430 N) at 21 days among these treatments. Among the treatments with added BBV, the yogurt with 5% added BBV showed the best results for increasing the viability of lactic bacteria. It was found that yogurt with added BBV is a promising alternative in the elaboration of functional dairy products, adding value to the banana production chain by reducing the green fruit waste.

Green banana biomass (Musa spp.) as a natural food additive in artisanal tomato sauce

This study aimed to prepare artisanal tomato sauce (TSC, control) containing 10% (TS10) or 20% (TS20) of whole green banana biomass (GBB). Tomato sauce formulations were evaluated for storage stability, sensory acceptability, and color and sensory parameters correlations. Data were subjected to Analysis of Variance, followed by the comparison of means by Tukey's test (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01). Correspondence analysis was used to assess the responses to a Check-All-That-Apply questionnaire. A significant effect was observed (p > 0.05) for the interaction between storage time and GBB addition on all physicochemical parameters. GBB reduced titratable acidity and total soluble solids (p < 0.05), possibly because of its high content of complex carbohydrates. All tomato sauce formulations had adequate microbiological quality for human consumption after preparation. Sauce consistency increased with increasing GBB concentrations, improving the sensory acceptance of this attribute. All formulations achieved the minimum threshold for overall acceptability (70%). A thickening effect was observed with the addition of 20% GBB, resulting in significantly (p < 0.05) higher body, higher consistency, and reduced syneresis. TS20 was described as firm, very consistent, light orange in color, and very smooth. The results support the potential of whole GBB as a natural food additive.

Characterization of probiotic properties and development of banana powder enriched with freeze-dried Lacticaseibacillus paracasei probiotics

Lacticaseibacillus paracasei is one of the probiotic bacteria widely identified from fermented foods. The application of L. paracasei is commonly used in dairy and non-dairy products. To investigate the probiotic properties of L. paracasei cells including their acid, pepsin, pancreatin, and bile salt tolerances; adhesion ability; antipathogen activity; and antibiotic susceptibility, L. paracasei cells were incorporated into skim milk and lyophilized by freeze drying. Freeze-dried probiotic cells were add to green banana powder and low moisture additive food matrices and a storage analysis of the product was performed. The result showed that L. paracasei cells possessed potentially beneficial probiotic properties to survive stress in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and functional abilities as an anti-enteropathogenic agent; they were also safe to use and displayed antibiotic properties. Furthermore, the probiotic freeze-drying technique preserved high probiotic cell survivability (10¹¹ CFU/g). In term of prolonged storage (60 days), the powder product was stable and maintained probiotic survival (10⁷ CFU/g) while excluding non-probiotic growth. In conclusion, L. paracasei displayed probiotic properties in the GIT and was judged to be a highly acceptable product as a probiotics–banana rehydrated beverage.

Instrument to Identify Food Neophobia in Brazilian Children by Their Caregivers

This study aimed to develop a specific instrument to evaluate food neophobia focused on Brazilian children and to perform the content validation and internal semantic consistency and reproducibility evaluation of the instrument. Three steps were necessary to conduct the study: (i) development of the instrument, (ii) internal validation (content validation and semantic evaluation) of the food neophobia instrument using 22 experts in the first round and 20 of them in the second round, (iii) evaluation of the internal consistency and reproducibility of the instrument with the children’s caregivers, using the test–retest (where the same caregiver—n = 22—answered twice, with 24 h interval) and comparing responses between two caregivers (n = 44) of the same children (n = 22). We developed an instrument in Brazilian–Portuguese to evaluate children’s food neophobia based on the caregivers’ perceptions with 25 items divided into three domains (neophobia in general, neophobia for fruits and neophobia for vegetables). Our results indicated that the instrument has excellent internal consistency (>0.9) and reproducibility (>0.9) when answered by the caregiver who knows the child’s eating habits, indicating reliability to be applied in Brazil. In addition, when the two caregivers answered the instrument, we found a good reproducibility (>0.6), confirming the possibility to be answered by one of the caregivers. Further studies are necessary to complete external validation with a representative sample of the target group in Brazil, showing nationwide the profile of the population. The potential of a neophobia study would contribute to the implementation of effective strategies and guidelines to support parents and health professionals, especially those involved in health and nutrition, to identify traces of food neophobia or neophobic behavior. By accurately measuring food neophobia in children, families can prevent nutritional deficiencies throughout adolescence and adulthood, improving eating habits. Children usually have neophobias similar to the ones presented by their parents—and when early detected, these neophobias can be addressed.

Study of prebiotic properties of selected banana species in Thailand

Prebiotics are functional foods with health-promoting properties that are used in many developed countries. Thailand is one of the countries that produces many plants that should have prebiotic properties. In this study, we investigated the potential prebiotic effects of powders obtained from Saba, Pisang Awak Banana and Silver bluggoe in vitro in accordance with their physical, chemical and microbiological properties. These selected plants were found to demonstrate good water-/oil-binding properties. They contained chlorophyll, beta carotene and lycopene and showed good resistance to stomach and small-intestine enzymes. The selected plants were further used to evaluate prebiotic properties by supplementing as a carbon source in culturing broth for growing probiotic bacteria and pathogenetic bacteria. The increase in the number of probiotic bacteria during fermentation of these selected plants correlated with decreased pH. The growth of four strains of probiotic bacteria seemed to be promoted in MRS broth containing these selected plants, but no significant differences in the number of probiotic bacterial groups were detected in response to difference concentrations of all these selected plants. In addition, we noted that a decrease in the number of all four strains of pathogenic bacteria during fermentation of these selected plants correlated with a decreased pH. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of selected plant prebiotics supported probiotic substance production to inhibit growth of pathogenic bacteria. In conclusion, we have shown that the addition of selected prebiotic plants, indicating that they should be used as a prebiotic food ingredient, represents a potential alternative to available commercial prebiotics.

Health Benefits of Green Banana Consumption: A Systematic Review

Despite the growing demand for green banana (GB) products, there is no review study regarding their potential health benefits. We aimed to compare the health benefits among different GB products by a systematic review. We researched six electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) from inception to March 2019. We found 1009 articles in these databases. After duplicate removal, we screened 732 articles' titles and abstracts, and selected 18 potentially relevant studies for full-text reading. We added five records from the reference list of the fully-read articles and seven suggested by the expert. Twelve articles were excluded. In the end, 18 studies were considered for this systematic review. Ten studies were conducted with green banana flour and eight with the green banana pulp/biomass. Most of the GB health benefits studied were related to the gastrointestinal symptoms/diseases, followed by the glycemic/insulin metabolism, weight control, and renal and liver complications associated to diabetes. Only one study did not confirm the health benefit proposed. It is necessary to standardize the GB dose/effect to different age groups and different health effects considering the GB variety and ripeness level. Further studies are necessary to present better detailing of GB product and their health effects considering all the raw-material characteristics.