Post-harvest Processing of Banana: Opportunities and Challenges

Banana has a special place in the daily diet of millions of people around the world for sustenance and nutrient enrichment. Some of the popular food uses of banana are chips, raw ripened fruit, cooked green banana, fermented and unfermented beverages, juice, puree, dried flour for bakery and infant formula food. Banana is also used as a starch source for various chemicals and packaging materials. The storability and functional properties of these products can be altered by the application of various innovative food processing technologies. This review article focuses on different banana products, their potential for non-conventional uses and associated prospective novel processing techniques for value addition and preservation.