Banana peduncle: to waste or not to waste?
2012
Tavanlar, M.A.T. | Ramirez, T.J. | Sapin, A.B. | Sedano, S.A., Philippines Univ. Los Banos, College, Laguna (Philippines). National Inst. of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
Banana peduncle from Musa cavendishii was studied for its components and utilization into high value added products. Fiber and juice were found to be the main components and these were extracted by means of retting and by mechanical press, respectively. The cell length of peduncle fiber is longer than those from other non-wood materials and classifies it as a long fiber. The tensile strength of the inner fiber (5.18 kg f/gm) is comparable to water lily fiber. Peduncle fiber has high holocellulose content (approximately 75.0%), alpha cellulose (51.72-58.90%) and hemicelluloses (15.92-16.77%). Peduncle juice was found to be 80% by fresh weight, has high total Polyphenol content (342.89 micro g GAE/mL) and high contents of potassium (425.80 mg/100 mL) and sodium (455.20 mg/100 mL). Peduncle juice showed no adverse effects in acute oral toxicity tests in mice. Dried fiber was utilized for dietary fiber enrichment of meat products, in addition to some identified functional properties, for manufacture of fiber boards, for pulp and paper, for micro cellulose production and for compost. The juice was added to ready-to-drink calamansi for potassium ion and Polyphenol fortification, used as potassium supplement in hydroponics of various salad greens, as liquid potassium fertilizer for banana and other high value crops. Based on the limited fertilization experiments, peduncle juice plus a nitrogen source like urea gives more biomass and higher marketable yield. From all these results, banana peduncle should not be left to waste. The various products shown to be derived from this material can supplement income of farmers and create new enterprises using simple technologies.
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