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Banana centre core which is a by product and a waste in banana plantations is high in fibre content and has various health benefits. In this study, an attempt was made to incorporate banana centre core flour with wheat and refined flour at 5, 10 and 15 per cent levels for preparation of cookies. Effect of banana centre core flour incorporated was evaluated based on the physical properties and sensory evaluation of cookies prepared. In the case of cookies prepared with banana flour blended with refined flour, there was no much difference in taste and texture as revealed by sensory scores. However, in the case of cookies prepared with banana centre core flour and wheat flour, the overall acceptability of 10 and 15 per cent incorporation of banana centre core flour was at par. It was seen that there is a decline in spread factor of cookies with increase in levels of incorporation of banana centre core flour.

Banana blossom is consumed as a vegetable in India, Sri Lanka and the South East Asian countries. Cleaning of the blossom is a cumbersome process due to the time taken and the drudgery involved in removing the style and the sepal from each floret before consumption. Minimally processed vegetables are gaining importance in the urban markets, satisfying consumer’s need of time and healthy food. Hence an attempt was made in this study to process the blossom of banana as a freshly processed vegetable in a ready to cook form and to assess its’ shelf life under different packaging treatments and storage conditions. The cleaned banana florets were packed in different packaging materials viz., polypropylene 40, 60 & 70 micron and low density polyethylene 110 micron. The shelf life of the banana florets was evaluated at different conditions viz., packing in bags without ventilation, ventilated bags, florets packed without any pre-treatment, florets pre treated and packed, storage of the samples under ambient (30±2°C) and refrigerated (5°C) condition. The physiological weight loss of the packed samples was recorded daily during storage. The shelf life was estimated by quality scores on a scale of 5-1 and observations recorded till 3rd day of storage whereby after 3rd day, the quality deteriorated. The results revealed that banana florets remained fresh for 3 days when packed in non ventilated poly propylene 40 micron bag under ambient and refrigerated storage.