Studies on processing and value addition of banana (Var. Patakapura, Musa Spp) by fortification of vitamin-E(α-Tocopherol)

Abstract

Patakapura, a landrace of Rasthali (Amrithpani) group of banana, mostly grown in the coastal tracts of Odisha, admired by one and all for its pleasant aroma. However, availability of this variety of banana is limited and has a very poor nutritional percentage regarding to vitamin-E(α-tocopherol). In the present study, an effort has been made to fortify the pulp with vitamin-E(α-tocopherol) so as to enrich the food value of the product as it is very deficient in vitamin-E (α-tocopherol) content. Banana pulp was prepared from the marketable ripe fruits of patakapura variety and stored as 100 g sample in glass containers using three different concentrations of vitamin-E (α-tocopherol),i.e; 2mg, 2.5mg and 3mg per 100gm of finished product, referring to the recommended daily allowance (RDA) level of vitamin E(α-tocopherol) assuming >2 serve a day. The α-tocopherol content of fresh banana pulp was 0.1mg/100g, and after supplementation, the vitamin E contents of the samples increased significantly. However, the three different treatments remained statistically at par. Texture of the banana pulp within treatments and without any treatment showed non-significant (p