Content and Retention of Provitamin A Carotenoids Following Ripening and Local Processing of Four Popular Musa Cultivars from Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Changes in the concentrations and retention levels of total and individual provitamin A carotenoids (pVACs) during ripening and local processing of the four most popular Musa cultivars of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo were established through HPLC analysis. The predominant pVACs were all trans β-and α-carotene, together constituting about 90% of total pVACs content in raw and processed Musa fruit pulp. The proportion of β-and α-carotene was not significantly different in the tested East African Highland Bananas (AAA-EAHB) ('Nshikazi' and 'Vulambya'); in the plantains ('Musilongo' and 'Musheba'), proportion of β-carotene was almost twice that of α-carotene. An increase in total pVACs was observed during ripening, with highest levels at ripening stage 3 in all four cultivars. Total pVACs values were as high as 1081µg/100gfw in 'Vulambya' and 1819µg/100gfw in 'Musilongo'. Boiling of the AAA-EAHB and AAB-Plantains resulted to retention of between 40-90% and >95% respectively. Plantains deep-fried in fully-refined palm oil and crude red palm oil for 2 minutes did not seem to lose any pVACs, the levels of total pVACs observed after frying were 100% of what was observed when the fruit was raw. Retinol Activity Equivalents (RAE), in boiled products varied between 22.3 and 173 RAEµg/100gfw, whereas deep fried products had >190 RAEµg/100g edible portion. These results show that the tested AAA-EAHBs and the plantains could meet at least 14% and 30 % of Vitamin A recommended dietary intakes respectively. The findings can therefore guide consumer consumption patterns to maximize vitamin A intake for improved health in these regions and also direct researchers in the selection of Musa cultivars to be incorporated within existing farming systems in the fight against vitamin A deficiency (VAD).

Provitamin A carotenoid content of unripe and ripe banana cultivars for potential adoption in eastern Africa

“…Studies on in vitro bioaccessibility of provitamin A carotenoids of popular banana cultivars from eastern Africa showed that following processing, the amount of provitamin A carotenoids micellized and ready for absorption was significantly higher in banana-derived dishes (16-27%) than that observed in popular roots and tubers (Ekesa et al, 2013).…”

“…Plantain, or cooking banana, has been reported as the second most important source of calories in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), after cassava (Davey et al, 2007;Ekesa et al, 2013). Average annual consumption of cooking banana in Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi is about 250-400 kg (550-880 lb) per person (about 3-11 bananas each day) (Englberger et al, 2003).…”

Sensory evaluation of provitamin A carotenoid-rich banana cultivars on trial for potential adoption in Burundi and Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

“…Additional work by Ekesa et al (2013) showed that the level of pVACs in popular banana cultivars in Eastern Africa ranged from 7 to 27 nmol g -1 DW. Differences in pVACs content in banana fruit have been attributed to genotype-specific differences as well as the differences in the developmental status of the fruit.…”

“…Differences in pVACs content in banana fruit have been attributed to genotype-specific differences as well as the differences in the developmental status of the fruit. Given that certain banana cultivars that are grown outside Eastern Africa have higher levels of pVACs than local cultivars (Davey et al, 2007;Ekesa et al, 2013;Englberger et al, 2003;Fungo and Pillay, 2011), they can be explored for addressing VAD in the region.…”

Multi-locational evaluation of cooking banana cultivars NARITA 4 hybrid and Mpologoma in Rwanda

“…The banana fruit is eaten cooked as a vegetable or ripe as a fruit, and it is also used to produce beer and wine (Rishirumuhirwa, 2010). Besides being a cheap and easily produced source of energy, it is also a good source of vitamins A, C, B6 and minerals, such as potassium (Davey et al, 2007;Ekesa et al, 2013). Rwanda with an annual per capita consumption of 258 kg (Jagwe et al, 2008) and production of 1.8 Mt (FAOSTAT, 2017), ranks among the top banana producers in the world.…”