Inclusive and efficient food systems: a case study of banana blossom use in a flour production

• Grant number: 18/16113-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2018
• End date: August 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Fernanda Maria Vanin
• Grantee: Geórgia Marcela Ribeiro Temer Giovanetti
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The use of by-products of the food industry is a practice little used in Brazil, however, the application of all parts of food would be a possible solution to reduce waste. Banana farming is one of the main international agribusinesses and banana, the most consumed fresh fruit in the world. Brazil is the third largest producer, with an amount of approximately 7.1 million tons per year, and the State of São Paulo is a highlight in production. One of the residues from banana production is the banana flower, also known as the banana heart, which is rich in fiber, minerals and amino acids essential for humans, but little used in human food, for fertilization of land and animal feed. The objective of this work is to explore the benefits offered by banana flower through the production of the flour of this byproduct and to evaluate its technological and nutritional characteristics. The study will be of extreme technological importance for the food industry because: (1) it involves the valuation of a by-product of banana production, which can present as an economic strategy for the country, (2) to seek a new source of functional attributes.