Go for banana fruit, nature's own energy-rich food
that comes in a safety envelope! Fresh, delicious bananas are available
year around and in fact, one of the cheapest fruits. Botanically, the
fruit belongs to the family of Musaceae. Commercially, it is one of the
widely cultivated crops in the tropical and subtropical zones.
Scientific name: Musa acuminata colla.
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Banana is a perennial herbaceous plant that develops from the
underground rhizome. It flourishes well under tropical moisture-rich,
humid low-lying farmlands.
In fact, the whole plant is a false stem (pseudostem), consisting of
broad leaves along with their petioles overlapping around each other in
a circular fashion standing up to 2 to 6 meters tall from the ground
surface depending upon the cultivar types. At maturity, the rhizome
gives rise to flower (inflorescence) that is carried up on a long smooth
un-branched stem through the centre of the pseudo-stem emerging out at
the top in the centre of the leaf cluster. The flower subsequently
develops to hanging bunch consisting of 3 to 20 hands (tiers), each with
at least 5-10 fingers (fruits) in each hand (tier). Banana plant or
plantain bears hanging clusters of fruits as a bunch. Fruits are
arranged in tiers, with 6-20 fruits in each tier.
There are several cultivars of banana grown with different size
(4”-9”inch), color (yellow to brown), weight (70-150g) and taste.
Structurally, fruit has a protective outer skin and delicious, sweet and
tart, creamy-white color edible flesh inside.
Plantains are other cultivar types, more often used as cooking bananas.
They are closely related to the familiar fruit banana or dessert banana.
Plantains are used as a staple diet in Thailand, Laos, and other
Southeast Asian as well as in many parts of tropical African and
Caribbean regions.
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Health benefits of banana fruit
Banana fruit is one of the high calorie tropical fruits. 100 g of fruit
provides 90 calories. Besides, it contains good amounts of health
benefiting anti-oxidants, minerals, and vitamins.
Banana pulp is composed of soft, easily digestible flesh with simple
sugars like fructose and sucrose that when eaten replenishes energy and
revitalizes the body instantly; thus, for these qualities, bananas are
being used by athletes to get instant energy and as supplement food in
the treatment plan for underweight children.
The fruit contains a good amount of soluble dietary fiber (7% of DRA per
100 g) that helps normal bowel movements; thereby reducing constipation
problems.
It contains health promoting flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants such
as lutein, zea-xanthin, ß and α-carotenes in small amounts. These
compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free
radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and
various disease processes.
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It is also a very good source of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), provides about
28% of daily-recommended allowance. Pyridoxine is an important B-complex
vitamin that has a beneficial role for the treatment of neuritis, and
anemia. Further, it helps decrease homocystine (one of the causative
factors in coronary artery disease (CHD) and stroke episodes) levels
within the body.
The fruit is an also moderate source of vitamin-C (about 8.7 mg per
100g). Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop
resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free
radicals.
Fresh bananas provide adequate levels of minerals like copper,
magnesium, and manganese. Magnesium is essential for bone strengthening
and has a cardiac-protective role as well. Manganese is used by the body
as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Copper
is required in the production of red blood cells.
Fresh banana is a very rich source of potassium. 100 g fruit provides
358 mg potassium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body
fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure, countering bad
effects of sodium.
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