2017 Volume 23 Issue 4 Pages 603-611
Bananas (Musa spp.) are not only one of the most popular fruits but also important staple food in some tropic countries. Carotenoid in pulp of banana fruits is an important source of vitamin A. While little is reported on carotenoid in peel, which is traditionally recognized as byproduct of food industry and may be a potential source of antioxidant compounds. Here we determined and reported carotenoid content and composition in both peel and pulp of 36 different banana cultivars. A total of 3 and 8 carotenoid components were identified in pulp and peel, respectively. The results show that carotenoid ranged from 0.18 to 36.82 µg/g FW in pulp and 0.9 to 16.2 µg/g FW in peel. Vitamin A values as retinol activity equivalents (RAE) in the pulp ranged from 0.003 to 1.85 µg/g. This report represents the first comprehensive assessment of carotenoid profiling in both fruit peel and pulp of 36 white to orange types of bananas and demonstrates banana peel product is also a valuable source with great nutritional properties.
