Abstract:
Green banana powder is a good source of resistant starch and also has prebiotic constituents
present promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. This study was aimed to evaluate the
physical (bulk density, water, and oil holding capacity, colour, and water activity) and
chemical (pH, and titratable acidity) properties of the green banana powder made from two
varieties, namely Ambul and Puwalu from Kilinochchi District, Sri Lanka. The green banana
powder was prepared using a food dehydrator (18 hours, at 65 °C) and the yield obtained
was, 26.67 ±0.2 % and 25.4±0.1 % for Ambul, and Puwalu, respectively. Collected data were
analyzed using ANOVA in SAS programme (version 9.0) with 95% CI and the mean
separation was done by Duncan’s multiple range test. All the experiments were done in
triplicate. Results showed that the physical parameters of powders from both varieties
differed significantly (p<0.05). The bulk density of Ambul powder was recorded 0.49±0.01
g/mL, whereas 0.67±0.02 g/mL for Puwalu. The water holding capacity (g water/ g dry
sample) of Ambul powder was higher (0.77±0.04) than Puwalu powder (0.58±0.05), while
the oil holding capacity of Ambul (0.9±0.01) was higher compared to Puwalu (0.73±0.03).
The colour values such as lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) were high in Ambul powder
(L*=35.84 ±1.02, b*= 10.89±0.01), whereas redness (a*) was high in Puwalu (1.22±0.07).
The water activity was high in Ambul powder 0.42± 0.02, where 0.36±0.01 was obtained in
Puwalu powder. The pH of the powder was ranged from 5.23-5.71 for both varieties. The
titratable acidity (acetic acid %) was ranged from 0.24-0.34 % for both varieties. Results
showed that the green banana powder had favorable physicochemical properties where it can
be applied as a potential food ingredient in various food applications.
