Influence of Different Pretreatments and Drying on Dehydrated Green Banana (Musa paradiasiaca var. Nendran) and its Compatibility in Rusk

Banana is the second most important fruit crop in India. Bananas, consumed cooked or raw, either as the green, halfripe, or ripe fruit, are one of the most significant sources of calories for the human diet worldwide. One benefit of green bananas is the high resistant starch content. In several studies, the physiological importance of resistant starch in bananas has been investigated mainly with regard to glycemic index, cholesterol lowering capability and colonic effects. In the present study the slices of green nendran bananas were subjected to three different pretreatments such as salt solution, lemon solution, honey solution followed by three different types of drying methods such as sun drying, microwave drying and cabinet air drying. The dehydration ratio, rehydration ratio and co-efficient of reconstitution were studied. The nendran banana attained maximum co-efficient of reconstitution of 1.14 for lemon pretreated cabinet dried sample. The moisture content of dried banana flour was 6.16g% the protein value was 9.30g, the total carbohydrates value was 86.50g and fibre content was 5.90g. The flour was compatible in rusk upto 50% with a good shelf life of two weeks.