Banana processing

1. Production Catchment Processing
of Unripe Banana for Value Added
Products
Dr. R.T. Patil
Former Director, CIPHET, Ludhiana
Chairman & ED, Benevole for PHT,
Bhopal

2. Production & Post Harvest Scenario
• Agriculture contributes about 14.5% of GDP,
employees 52% workforce and sustains
approx over 60% of the population
• India ranks second in world in production of
fruits and vegetables at vegetables at 16.2
crores tonnes
• Post harvest losses are 3-18% amounting to
Rs. 45000 crores
• Low level of processing of fruits and
vegetables at only 3.5% .
• Food processing is employment intensive,
creates 1.8 jobs directly and 6.4 indirectly for
every Rs. 10 lakh investment

3. Reasons for Losses of Vegetables
• Handling of raw produce through many stages of
middlemen.
• Very low or almost negligible management and
processing which leads to losses even in valuable
by products. (like pea pods)
• Non availability of cold chain and efficient
equipment and machinery for processing in
catchment areas.
• Low level of entrepreneurial urge in rural areas due
to constraints of finance, assured market and
proper training on technology
Higher the Level of Processing, proper
Marketing, Better the PH Management and
Lower Will Be Losses

4. Health Benefits of Banana
• Bananas are a caloric dense fruit. Consumption of just one
banana makes one feel energetic.
• Banana is a food most appropriate in situations of extreme
weight loss or extreme fever.
• Good source of potassium and magnesium which aids in
maintaining normal blood pressure
• High potassium content promotes bone health.
• Banana help counteract the urinary calcium loss caused
due to increase ion potassium levels in the urine.
• Bananas have an antacid effect and protect against
stomach ulcers and from gastrointestinal disturbances.
• Under conditions of diarrhea consumption of banana helps
to restore the lost potassium and maintain heart function.
• Bananas are rich in the soluble fibre pectin & fructo-
oligosaccharides improve the ability to absorb nutrients.

5. Chips from Unripe Banana

6. Process for Chips
• Peel the green bananas or green plantains
• Slice the bananas or plantains lengthwise, full length or
half length, or slice them as thin rounds or thin diagonal
ovals,
• Heat the oil, ideal temperature for frying is between 190-
200 C, there should be enough oil to fully cover the
bananas or plantains.
• Add the chips to the hot oil; be careful not to overcrowd
• Fry until the chips get a golden color.
• Remove the chips from the oil and remove excess oil

7. Process for Chips

9. Making Flour from
Unripe Bananas
• Peel the good mature green bananas.
• Slice the bananas into 0.5-cm thick pieces
• Soak sliced bananas in a solution of anti-
browning agent.
• Soak the slices for 15 minutes.
• Drain the slices by placing them on trays with
plastic mesh and then place them in the dryer.
• Dry in the sun (solar dryer) or in a hot-air dryer
until dry and brittle.
• Grinding, sifting and packaging

10. Making Flour from Precooked
Unripe Bananas
• Cook unpeeled bananas in a pan of water until
tender.
• Cool cooked bananas in cold water.
• Peel the bananas.
• Slice the bananas into pieces about 0.5 cm
thick
• Dry in the solar dryer or in a hot-air dryer until
fully dry and brittle.
• Grind the dried banana chips in a hammer mill
• Weigh and pack
• Store in a cool, dry place

12. Materials Required
• Freshly harvested green bananas
• Gloves (to prevent staining of hands with
banana sap)
• Anti-browning agent (powdered sodium
metabisulphite)
• Clean water
• Clean, sharp knives and chipping
machine/slicer
• Plastic buckets
• Raised open-sun platform, solar dryer or
hot-air dryer

13. Uses of Banana Flour
•Banana flour is beneficial for those with
stomach problems and pains.
•Gluten free alternative
•Thickener for sauces and soups and as a
breading for meats and vegetables.[15]
•Resistant starch which reduce risk
of obesity, diabetes and colon cancer.
•Even in cooked products like pasta, the
addition of banana flour increases total resistant
starch content in appreciable amounts.[21]
•It is also used in glue production, mainly
plywood glue.

14. Banana Jam
• Slice the banana into very thin pieces.
• Fill the pot with 1 cup of sugar. Stir
continuously. Cook until brown. Medium
heat.
• Once brown, add 1/3 a cup of water and the
banana slices you put aside. Add the
water then the bananas.
• Once the ingredients are added, keep
stirring on low heat. When soft and no
banana pieces are noticeable, turn off heat.
• Put in a container or covered bowl and put
in the fridge until chilled.

15. Banana Jam

16. Maintaining
quality of green
bananas
Bruised,
blemished and
broken bananas
due to poor
handling,
Immature
bananas,
Improper storage
Delayed
processing,
Delayed
harvesting
Handle bananas
carefully,
Store harvested
bananas in a cool
place,
Process bananas
within a week of
harvesting,
Harvest bananas
when fully mature
and uniformly
green

17. Discoloured
chips and
Flour
Using mixed banana
varieties, Using
different-sized chips,
Not using anti-
browning, agent or
not soaking in anti-
browning agent for
15 Minutes
Use only
one variety
Ensure
chips are
0.5 cm
thick

18. Decreased
shelf life of
chips and
flour
High moisture
content due to
poor drying of
chips
absorption of
moisture by chips
or flour during
storage
Ensure chips
are well dried
(to
brittleness)
before
making flour
Store in cool
& dry place
Use new
strong poly
bags

19. Mushy
bananas that
are difficult to
peel, slice
Overcooking
the bananas
Use of near-
ripe bananas
Avoid
overcooking the
Bananas
Use fully mature
and uniformly
green bananas,
Dry chips in clean
and hygienic
conditions,
Use clean
(potable) water to
avoid
contamination

20. Foul/
fermented
smell of
chips or flour
Contamination due
to: microbial growth
use of unclean
water
Use clean (potable)
water to avoid
contamination
Use recommended
packaging materials.

21. Loss of
chips and
flour in
storage
Infestation by
storage insect
pests (e.g. weevils)
Rats in storage
area Storage in
poor-quality
packaging
materials Storage
of product on the
ground
Ensure proper
packaging (use
strong, sealed
bags).
Put in place
measures to
control storage
pests.
Make storage area
rat-proof and
control rats.
Store bagged chips
or flour off the
ground

22. Conclusions
• In Jalgaon district alone there are 200 banana chips
units
• Each unit produces on an average 1.5 q chips per day
• The recovery of chips is 15% of green banana weight
• Production of chips per day is 30 MT and about 210
MT of unripe banana is used
• This market in the state and also in country may 10 to
100 times more than this quantity
• The demand is growing very rapidly approx 20% per
year
• With the awareness of health benefits of banana
chips/flour and jam this will also grow further and offer
lot of opportunities to rural entrepreneurs

23. Recommendations
• Sort out good quality bananas for production
• Maintain the chip thickness & dry the chips in single
layer
• Replace the frying oil timely & remove excess oil
from chips
• Use three ply packaging like other commercial
chips
• Standardisation of processes be done by
JISL/KVK/SAU
• Product quality evaluation support be provided by
above agencies
• Training programme for skill development and
product quality for these products be provided by
above agencies

24. Recommendations
• Banana Chips made by SHGs may be
introduced in the mid-day meal program
due to their healthy nature
• Chocolate coated, fruit flavoured,
cheese, ketchup flavoured chips be
developed
• The reformated chips like Pringles be
developed from Banana flour and other
fruit pulps

25. Thank you
ramabhau@gmail.com