Author Description

Banana one of the most popular consumed fruits in the tropical and sub-tropical region. Most of the edible bananas present now a days are derived solely from Musa accuminata Colla or Musa balbisiana Colla or a hybrid between the two wild diploid species. The main objective of this research work is to provide an overview of various by-products from banana. Whole banana plant is useful in food, feed, pharmaceutical, packaging and many other industrial applications. In India, many of the social and religious ceremonies require whole banana plant, apart from leaves and fruits. Banana, consisting of numerous well-known varieties and cultivars, has been explored and the by-products such as pseudostem, rhizome, leaves, fruit stalks, and peels fromthe common varieties to some extent are potential raw materials in areas of food and non-food industries, providing each different application. Banana by-products which have been assessed and found to have potential application for food additives, nutraceuticals, food supplements, feeds, renewable fuel, fibers, source of bioactive and other organic chemicals, fertilizers as well as contaminant absorbers.. The exponential increase of world’s population and the trend towards the utilization of eco-friendly and viable agricultural by-products creates a steady platform for the continuation of innovation on development of products from the banana by-products and waste, thus, making it a sustainable income generating commodity. Generating wealth from waste such as from the banana by-products should be regarded as one of the ways to create an eco-friendly environment for the future generations.