Banana (Musa spp.) is an important ingredient of several dishes and its nutritional and other biochemical composition at different stages is yet to be scientifically studied. In the present study the most popularly cultivated species of Nendran, Nijali poovan and Robusta banana in Southern India are selected. Variations in the nutritional and biochemical compositions associated with ripened and unripened stages of banana fruits were studied. Proximate composition, mineral and phytochemical compositions of ripened and unripened banana flours were analyzed and the total soluble sugars in unripened banana range from 1.70 to 2.15 mg/100g of the samples and that of ripened banana range from 37.5 to 43.8 mg/100g of the samples. Mineral compositions show that they are rich sources of calcium, phosphorus and iron. In addition to this they are rich sources of antioxidant potential phytochemicals such as polyphenols, flavanoids, vitamin C and lesser in quantity of anti nutritional factors such as phytates and oxalates. The current study revealed the variations of biochemical compositions of three varieties in unripened and ripened stages. This will be useful for the exploitation of these crops to obtain and formulate the value added products.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.