Abstract
Banana and plantain contribute significantly to food security and amelioration of malnutrition, earning their status as staples in several localities of tropical and sub-tropical regions. The distribution of metabolites within the various parts also remains as a key essential to their nutritive and therapeutic potential. This study was aimed at evaluating the nutritional and mineral composition of the flesh, peel, and peel extract components of Musa sinensis L. and Musa paradisiaca L. fruits as well as their nutritional and therapeutic potentials. Proximate and antinutritional analyses were carried out using standard analytical methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), while the mineral constituents were evaluated using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Proximate analysis revealed that the flesh and peel of M. sinensis L. and M. paradisiaca L. contain substantial amounts of moisture, fiber, carbohydrates, and low fat content, while minerals K, Mg, Ca, Na, P, and N were substantially concentrated in the peels and peel extracts in particular. The antinutrients alkaloid, oxalate, saponin, and phytate were detected in safe amounts according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The study points out that the peel and its derivative extract, as well as the flesh of M. sinensis L. and M. paradisiaca L. are to be put to more relevant human nutritional and therapeutic use.
Highlights
Fruits are natural sources of useful fiber, minerals, and vitamins
The antinutrients alkaloid, oxalate, saponin, and phytate were detected in safe amounts according to the World Health Organization (WHO)
The ash content is essentially significant in food because the inorganic bulk is linked to mineral element composition and aids in microbial growth retardation
Summary
Fruits are natural sources of useful fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Fund has mirrored the state of affairs of global food security and nutrition, with the sub-regions of Africa implicated in rising hunger and economic downturn. The WHO recognizes and prioritizes the frontiers of food security, nutrition improvement, and hunger eradication including agricultural sustainability [3]. Similar to vegetables and pulses, remains key to the reduction in under-nutrition and obesity conditions [4,5]. The prevalence of global mineral malnutrition has been worryingly highlighted, with specific examples including zinc, iron, calcium, copper, and magnesium [6,7]. Several key minerals to human nutrition are sourced from plants [7,8]
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