No abstract

Bananas are a valuable crop that are embedded with various micronutrients. Unripe bananas are of interest because they are used by commercial interests as a source of starch. These starches can be modified to resistant forms to slow digestibility and lower glycemic index. In this context, they are of interest in diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease research. Additionally, there is pharmaceutical interest in modified banana starches in terms of drug delivery and in the textile industry as filler in yarn. Due to the texturizing capacity, mouthfeel, and palatability of banana starches, the beverage, bakery, and confectionery industries have investigated their use for novel formulations. This Review summarizes the properties and applications of banana starches.

Increasing urbanization, busy lifestyles has been providing a huge impetus to prefer ready to cook (RTC) food products. The research project was conducted to develop such a RTC product which fits the busy lifestyle of people as well as does not compromise on part of nutritional profile. The curry was prepared by washing, cutting, boiling (till vegetables gets soft) and blanching (5 min in 5% brine solution) followed by drying of five seasonal vegetables viz., carrot, peas, potato, cauliflower, beans in hot air dryer at 65 ± 5°C for 10-12 h. A standardized gravy mix powder (onion, garlic, spices and herbs) was used to add flavor. Serving size for one person i.e. sachet contained 25 g dried vegetables, 10 g gravy mix powder and 200 ml water was prepared and packed. The recipe was finalized after sensory trials. The curry was ready in approximately 5 min in pressure cooker. The product remained well acceptable up to 4 months when packed in LDPE pouches under normal room temperature conditions. However, the shelf life of 4 months at 25°C for a dried product is by all means considered good by the general expectations of dried foods and keeping the quality of dried foods reported in the literature.

Chutney prepared from guava-papaya blends was analyzed for changes in chemical constituents and overall acceptability at monthly interval for three months storage period. Total sugars, reducing sugars and browning increased, while ascorbic acid, total carotenoids and total phenols decreased significantly in chutney during storage. Chutney prepared with 40 guava:60 papaya pulp ratio was most acceptable. The overall acceptability of chutney decreased significantly during three months storage period.

Globally, beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage and is traditionally prepared from barley malt, yeast, hops, and water (Pires & Brányik, 2015). Since ancient times, beer is well known for its nutritional and medicinal value and contains a good amount of minerals (such as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and potassium) and B complex vitamins (Zhao & Zhao, 2012). Various studies reported that the consumption of beer (up to 400 ml per day for men and 200 ml per day for women) reduces the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases and maintains cholesterol and glucose metabolism in the body (Giacosa et al., 2016).