Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 8.8.
Change in dessert bananas' and plantains' colour score (a), and starch and
total sugars (b) (redrawn from Marriot
et al.
, 1981).
UTILIZATION
The main carbohydrate dif erence between bananas and plantains is that
bananas are less starchy than plantains (Fig. 8.8). Bananas had 1% starch
when fully ripe and 0% when overripe, while plantains had 9% starch when
fully ripe and 3% when overripe (Marriot
el al.
, 1981). The same bananas
had 23% sugar when ripe or overripe while plantains had 20% sugar when
ripe and 27% when overripe. The moisture content of ripe bananas is ~80%,
versus ~65% for plantains. Bananas are at their best when yellow, plantain
when black.
The fl avour, texture, convenience, ease of eating and nutritional values
have made dessert bananas very popular (Baldry
et al.
,
1981). Banana is a
useful source of vitamins A, C and B6 and has about twice the concentration
of K compared with other ripe fruit (Table 8.7). Plantain as a staple provides
considerable energy and protein, although the diet needs to be supplemented.
In West and Central Africa, people derive about one-quarter of their energy
requirements from plantains (Wainwright, 1992).
Bananas are used in special diets where ease of digestibility, low fat, no
cholesterol, minerals (high K, low sodium (Na)) and vitamin contents are
