Studies on banana pseudostem starch: Production, yield, physico‐chemical properties and uses

Abstract

The presence of considerable quantities of starch in the banana pseudostem has been demonstrated for the first time. Evidence is presented to show that the starch content of the stems varies and is influenced by the variety, locality, stage of growth, physiological state of the plant and climatic conditions, and particularly by the moisture content of the stems. The desirability of screening varieties with a view to selecting consistent yielders has been emphasized.The process evolved for the manufacture of banana pseudostem starch is outlined, and the potentialities of this new raw material as a source of starch indicated.Phy'sico-chemical properties of the starch have bmeen described. The starch can be used for industrial and edible purposes in place of ordinary starches. Sizing tests have shown that it compares very favourably with the common starches and, in view of the somewhat transparent nature of the pastes, imparts better lustre to the finished goods. IntroductionStarch is found in nature as stored food in the tissues of higher plants and forms the bulk of the solids of grains and tubers. Raw materials commonliy used for the manufacture of starch in different parts of the world are : food grains (maize, wheat, sorghum), tubers and roots (potato, sweet potato) and sago. In countries suffering from shortage of food, the availability of these materials for starch manufacture is limited. Investigations undertaken in this Institute on the processing of banana pseudostem (commonly called banana stem) for edible purposes revealed that the stems contained a substantial quantity of starch which could be released by mechanical means. The starch is present in the form of granules and can be demonstrated by pouring iodine solution over the cut stem.Banana is extensively grown in tropical and subtropical countries of the world. In India, it is ore of the most widely cultivated fruits, occupying an area of about 3 million acres1 After harvcding the fruit, the felled plant is generally allowed to rot in the field. The stem is used to some extent in the preparation of fibre ropes and cheap-quality paper, and the inner soft core is consumed as a cooked vegetable, but no important industrial use of the stem has so far been reported. Under Indian conditions there are about 800 plants per acre and each stem on an average weighs 50 lb. (Pseudostems weighing up to 150 lb. or even more are not uncommon.) It is estimated that about 5.5 million tons of this material are annually available in India and probably equally large quantities in many other countries.The present investigations were undertaken to develop a suitable process for the recovery of starch from the banana stem. Various factors influencing the yield of starch, physicochemical characteristics of the product and suitability for industrial purposes and for edible purposes have also been studied. It is shown that the starch can be used for any purpose for which other commercially available starches are used. Experimental Material and methodsThe variations of starch c...

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