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Plantains and their postharvest uses: an overview Debabandya Mohapatra1, Sabyasachi Mishra2 and Venkatesh Meda2* 1Department of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Food Processing Technology & Bio-energy, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat, India 2Department of Agricultural and Bioresource Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada Abstract Purpose of review: This article reviews some of the versatile postharvest uses of plantains and other components of plantain plants. Findings: Plantain belongs to the Musacace family and is cultivated in over 120 countries. Many African, Asian and Latin American countries depend primarily on the plantain plant for sustainability. Mature plantains are consumed as a staple on cooking, while overripe fruit is consumed in raw form. Plantains are rich in iron, potassium, ascorbic acid and vitamin A, and are a very good source of starch, which has various uses, such as in functional foods and edible films. In addition to plantains being used for food, the waste material such as the peel, pseudo-stem, pith, male bud and leaves, have also been used as food and feed, as well as for other special purposes in most of the plantain-growing parts of the world. Directions for future research: A plantain-based diet can be designed for diabetic people based on its low glycaemic index. Moreover, due to its high starch content and cheaper cost, it has the potential to be added to other fruit-based juices and beverages as starch filler. Further research can be done on deflavouring of plantain, which might overwhelm other fruit based beverages when added as a filler. Since most of the parts of the plantain plant have some or other therapeutic value, further research can be done to extract the phytochemicals for potential drug development. Keywords: postharvest; plantain; plantain peel; pseudo-stem; male bud; plantain pith; plantain leaves Stewart Postharvest Review 2009, 5:4 Published online 01 October 2009 doi: 10.2212/spr.2009.5.4 |