Banana fruit nutrition facts

Banana fruit nutrition facts

Go for banana fruit; nature's own energy-rich food that comes in a safety envelope! Fresh, creamy, and delicious dessert bananas are one of the cheapest and easily available year around.

Botanically, the fruit belongs to the family of Musaceae. Commercially, it is one of the widely cultivated crops in the tropical and subtropical zones. Scientific name: Musa acuminata colla.

Banana is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows from the underground rhizome. It flourishes well under tropical, moisture-rich, humid, low-lying farmlands. 

Banana has unique growth characteristics. In fact, the whole plant is a false stem (pseudostem). Its stem consisting of broad leaves together with their long petioles overlapping around each other in a disc-like fashion standing up to 2 to 6 meters tall from the ground surface depending upon the cultivar types. At maturity, the rhizome gives rise to a flower (inflorescence) that is carried up on a long smooth un-branched stem (true) through the centre of the pseudo-stem which finally emerges out at the top in between the leaf cluster. The flower subsequently develops to a huge hanging bunch, consisting of 3 to 20 hands (tiers), each with at least 5-10 fingers (fruits) in each hand (tier).

There are several cultivars of banana comes in different sizes (4”-9”inch), color (yellow to brown), weight (70-150g) and taste. Structurally, it has a protective outer skin and delicious, sweet and tart, creamy-white color edible flesh inside.

Plantains are other cultivar types, more often known as cooking bananas. They are closely related to the familiar fruit banana or dessert banana. Plantains are used as a staple diet in Thailand, Laos, and other Southeast Asian as well as in many parts of tropical African and Caribbean regions.

Health benefits of banana fruit

• Banana fruit is one of the high calorie tropical fruits. 100 g of fruit provides 90 calories. Besides, it contains good amounts of health benefiting anti-oxidants, minerals, and vitamins.
• Banana pulp is composed of soft, easily digestible flesh with simple sugars like fructose and sucrose that when eaten replenishes energy and revitalizes the body instantly; thus, for these qualities, bananas are being used by athletes to get instant energy and as supplement food in the treatment plan for underweight children.
• The fruit holds a good amount of soluble dietary fiber (7% of DRA per 100 g) that helps normal bowel movements; thereby reducing constipation problems.
• It contains health promoting flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zea-xanthin, ß and α-carotenes in small amounts. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.
• It is also a very good source of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), provides about 28% of daily-recommended allowance. Pyridoxine is an important B-complex vitamin that has a beneficial role for the treatment of neuritis, and anemia. Further, it helps decrease homocystine (one of the causative factors in coronary artery disease (CHD) and stroke episodes) levels within the body.
• The fruit is an also a moderate source of vitamin-C (about 8.7 mg per 100g). Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.
• Fresh bananas provide adequate levels of minerals like copper, magnesium, and manganese. Magnesium is essential for bone strengthening and has a cardiac-protective role as well.  Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells.
• Fresh banana is a very rich source of potassium. 100 g fruit provides 358 mg potassium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure, countering bad effects of sodium.

Selection and storage.

Once ripened, bananas are very fragile and start decaying in short time. In the field, mature bananas generally harvested while they are still in the green (firm and raw) stage as it enables them for easier transportation.

In order to ripen, they are usually subjected to ethylene spray or kept in close proximity with other ripened fruits. 

In the stores, choose banana fruits based on when you want to use them; greener ones should last for more days, while yellow and brown-spotted bananas should be eaten in a few days.

Ready to eat bananas should be bright yellow, and emanate rich fruity fragrance. Ripe fruit peels off easily. Ripened, fresh bananas are nutritionally enriched and sweeter in taste than the raw green ones.

Avoid mushy or damaged bananas, as they are un-appealing.

Preparation and Serving methods

Bananas come with nature gifted protective outer layer of skin, therefore, are less likely to be contaminated by germs and dust.

• Eat banana as it is without any additions. Just discard the peel and enjoy!
• Banana fruit sections are a great addition to the fruit salads.
• Fresh "banana-milkshake" with sugar syrup is a refreshing drink.
• Bananas have also been used in the making of fruit jams.
• Grilled banana fruit can be served on cake/ ice cream in the Caribbean style dessert.
• Banana chips (plantain) are a snack produced from dehydrated or fried banana or plantain slices.
• Mash ripe banana fruits and add to cakes, casseroles, muffins, bread pudding, etc.
• Plantain is raw unripe banana that is used as vegetable in recipes.

Safety profile

Banana fruits are sometimes known to cause skin and systemic allergic reactions. The fruit may be the cause of "oral allergy syndrome" in which, the symptoms may include itching and swelling around the mouth or throat within hours after ingestion and the condition may be related to birch tree and other pollen allergies.

The other type of reaction is related to latex allergies and causes urticaria and potentially serious gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. (Medical disclaimer).