1. Fig, Juice, Bar, Jam and Sweet Chutney from pulp of ripe banana
2. Flour, Baby food, Health drink, Sauce, Pickle and Chips from pulp of unripe banana
3. Pickle from flower of banana
4. Candy from centre core stem of banana
5. Fibre from pseudostem sheath of banana

1. Ripening of fruits at ambient temperature was faster as compared to 18-22oC in both ‘Rasthali’ and ‘Karpuravalli’ bananas. In Rasthali, after ripening, the fruits stored at 22oC had the best acceptability compared to those stored at 18oC.
2. A combination of NaOH as retting agent and citric acid as bleaching agent gave the best fibre with good color and fine texture and tenacity.
3. The critical temperature for storage of ‘Ney Poovan’ banana for better quality was identified as 13.5oC.
4. A recipe was standardized for preparation of banana flour based ready- to- serve soup mix.
5. Banana hands could be stored at 22oC for about 10 days for retail marketing.
6. On comparative evaluation, both chemical retting (NaOH) and machine extraction were proved to be better for yield and quality (based on biochemical constituents) of fibre obtained from pseudostem sheath of banana.
7. On comparative evaluation, both peel and flower pickles (thokku) were accepted as fresh, while it was central core stem pickle with high fibre content after two months of storage/curing.
8. High sugar and carbohydrate varieties were identified among the commercially cultivated varieties of banana.
9. An extruded product was developed by blending cassava (80%) and banana (20%) flours (in collaboration with CTCRI, Trivandrum).
10. ‘Sip-up’, a banana pulp based product was developed and storage conditions was standardized.

Research Profile

Post harvest losses in banana due to improper handling are as high as 25%. Therefore, the Centre has developed a pre and post harvest package of technologies for handling with mechanized handling through conveyor belts for field transportation of bunches and extension of shelf life. Process for more than 18 different value added products from ripe banana have been developed and many have been commercialized by the centre. Protocols have been standardized for extraction of banana fibre from pseudostem and peduncle which are being widely used in handicrafts, textile and paper industry.