Banana cultivars that are rich in provitamin A carotenoids and other nutrients may offer a potential food source to help alleviate vitamin A deficiencies, particularly in developing countries. The local plantain type banana, Agung Semeru (Musa paradisiaca L.), was investigated, in order to analyse the changes in the compositions of the provitamin A carotenoids and metabolite compounds, including the amino acids, organic acids, and sugars, during the ripening stage as this banana is widely processed for food products in either the unripe, ripe, or overripe stages. The bananas that had reached the desired ripening stages were subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, and the results indicated that the total provitamin A carotenoid concentrations ranged between 4748.83 μg/100 g dry weight (dw) and 7330.40 μg/100 g dw, with the highest level of vitamin A activity at 457.33±5.18 μg retinol activity equivalents (RAE)/100 g dw. Compared to the Cavendish variety, which is consumed worldwide, the Agung Semeru banana had vitamin A activity that was 40 to 90 times higher, dependent on the stage of ripening. The breakdown of the starch during the ripening stages resulted in an increase of its sugar compounds, such as sucrose, fructose, and glucose, as well as its dominant organic acids, such as malic acid, oxalic acid, and citric acid, which were observed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) during the ripening stages. The findings of this study show that the Agung Semeru banana is a promising fruit that could be widely produced as a nutritional and energy food resource, due to its high levels of vitamin A activity and sugars.

Banana, as the world’s most consumed fruit, is a good source of carbohydrate, potassium, fiber, and other essential nutrients such as pro-vitamin A carotenoids. The carotenoid content and composition in bananas commonly sold in fruit shops in Malang have become interesting studies. Five types of banana, i.e. Berlin, Mas, Cavendish, Candi and Raja were characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography and UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The carotenoid concentrations ranged between 347–3,660 µg/100 g dry weight (dw), with the level of vitamin A activity at the range between 6-139 µg RAE/100 g dw. The Mas banana had a higher carotenoid concentration compared to the Berlin, Candi, Raja, and Cavendish varieties.

As vitamin A deficiency (VAD) remains a health problem in Indonesia, fulfilling the requirement of vitamin A from the daily diet is of importance, especially for children. Consuming food sources rich in provitamin A carotenoids, such as bananas and yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes, is one alternative to reduce the number of VADs. Raw materials have been known for their short shelf life due to high moisture content. Therefore, processing them into dry products such as flakes can be one method to extend the shelf life of a product. The utilisation of Agung Semeru banana and Papua Solossa yellow-fleshed sweet potato into flakes containing provitamin A carotenoids was conducted in this study. Through focus group evaluation, flake F2 that was made from blend of banana puree (BP), banana flour (BF), and sweet potato flour (SPF) with ratio 6:1:3 (w/w/w) was selected as the most preferred flake, and was liked by 77% of panelists in the following organoleptic appraisal. Comprising the total carotenoid by 1926.73 µg/100 g dw, vitamin A activity around 58.45 µg RAE/100 g dw, and high amount of carbohydrate, along with ash that represents minerals, this flake can be considered as a nutritional and energy food resource. However, this product is in short of meeting the recommendation of protein and fat given by Indonesian national standard, with slightly higher moisture content. Hence, it requires some improvement by serving it with milk and/or legumes, as well as selecting a proper packaging material and method.