scintro Banana
   Description   Nutritional Value   Health Benefits   Varieties   Botanical Facts   Select and Store   Uses   Nutrition Chart   Web Reference  
Banana

Banana    Description Top of Page

FAMILY: Musaceae
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Musa paradisiaca
COMMON NAME: Banana

Banana is an elongated fruit. Banana is a berry fruit. Flesh of the banana is yellowish-white, creamy, and sweet. When it is ripe its skin peels off easily. Its skin color varies from green,yellow or red depends on the variety.

Banana    Nutritional Value Top of Page

Bananas are good source of potassium,Vitamin C and dietary fiber.

Bananas are excellent source of vitamin B6

Banana    Health Benefits Top of Page
Potassium is very important to regulate blood pressure. As potassium reduces the blood pressure bananas are good to control hypertension.

Fibers in bananas are helpful to regulate bowel movement.
Banana    Varieties Top of Page
Hundreds of varieties of Bananas are available world wide. Cavendish is the popular yellow banana, which is the chief export banana. Silk, Manzana, Gros Michel are some popular varieties. Ney Poovan, Robusta, Mysore are some of the popular varieties in India.
Banana    Botanical Facts Top of Page
Banana plant is not a tree,it is the largest herb in the world. It can grow upto 20 to 25 feet high.

The functional trunk formed by upright concentric sheathing base of long broad leafs. It is a perennial herb. Bananas propagate through rootstalk rhizome.

Banana flower is large, long, oval, tapering and purple color.It looks like a large bud. Flower has a purple clad arranged like an onion bulb. In between each clad it has a clustered row of yellowish-white, slender, tubular flowers.

Banana    Select and Store Top of Page
Bananas can be easily ripened by leaving them at room temperature. Avoid fruits that is bruised or split.

Bananas are good to store at room temperature.Ripe fruits can be stored in refrigerator where they keep at least couple of days longer than room temperature.
Banana    Uses Top of Page
Bananas are very popular and convenient for eating out of hand. Bananas are used to make banana cake,icecream, salads and muffins.
Banana    Nutrition chart Top of Page

* Amount in 100 grams of edible portion

ENERGY (kilocalories) 89
WATER(grams) 74.91
FAT(grams) 0.33
PROTEIN(grams) 1.09
CARBOHYDRATES(grams) 22.84
FIBER(grams) 2.6
VITAMINS
Fat Soluble:
Vitamin A (mcg-RAE) 3
Vitamin D -
Vitamin E (mg) 0.1
Vitamin K (mcg) 0.5
Water Soluble:
Vitamin C (mg) 8.7
Vitamin B
Riboflavin (mg) 0.073
Pyridoxine(B6) (mg) 0.367
MINERALS(mg)
Calcium 5
Iron 0.26
Magnesium 27
Phosphorus 22
Potassium 358
Sodium 1
Zinc 0.15
Copper 0.078
Manganese 0.270
Banana    Web reference Top of Page
INIBAP

International Banana Association

The banana group

PROMUSA