Evaluating Provitamin A Carotenoids and Polar Metabolite Compositions during the Ripening Stages of the Agung Semeru Banana (Musa paradisiaca L. AAB).

Rosita D. Chandra,Tatas H. P. Brotosudarmo,Leenawaty Limantara,Heriyanto Heriyanto,Chandra A. Siswanti,Monika N. U. Prihastyanti

doi:10.1155/2020/8503923

Rosita D. Chandra, Tatas H. P. Brotosudarmo + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8503923

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Abstract

Banana cultivars that are rich in provitamin A carotenoids and other nutrients may offer a potential food source to help alleviate vitamin A deficiencies, particularly in developing countries. The local plantain type banana, Agung Semeru (Musa paradisiaca L.), was investigated, in order to analyse the changes in the compositions of the provitamin A carotenoids and metabolite compounds, including the amino acids, organic acids, and sugars, during the ripening stage as this banana is widely processed for food products in either the unripe, ripe, or overripe stages. The bananas that had reached the desired ripening stages were subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, and the results indicated that the total provitamin A carotenoid concentrations ranged between 4748.83 μg/100 g dry weight (dw) and 7330.40 μg/100 g dw, with the highest level of vitamin A activity at 457.33 ± 5.18 μg retinol activity equivalents (RAE)/100 g dw. Compared to the Cavendish variety, which is consumed worldwide, the Agung Semeru banana had vitamin A activity that was 40 to 90 times higher, dependent on the stage of ripening. The breakdown of the starch during the ripening stages resulted in an increase of its sugar compounds, such as sucrose, fructose, and glucose, as well as its dominant organic acids, such as malic acid, oxalic acid, and citric acid, which were observed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) during the ripening stages. The findings of this study show that the Agung Semeru banana is a promising fruit that could be widely produced as a nutritional and energy food resource, due to its high levels of vitamin A activity and sugars.

Highlights

Nutritional deficiencies and malnutrition are still global problems, especially for the poor and the majority of developing countries, including Indonesia, leading to health problems such as skin diseases, defective bone growth, dementia, and increased mortality [1,2,3,4]
Stages 1 and 5 had the highest amounts of provitamin A carotenoids, which contributed to the levels of vitamin A activity
Compared to the Cavendish type, the Agung Semeru banana provided vitamin A activity that was 60 to 90 times higher and was able to fulfil a person’s daily requirements, if 150 g was consumed when it was in stage 1 or 5 and 300 g in stage 6

Summary

Introduction

Nutritional deficiencies and malnutrition are still global problems, especially for the poor and the majority of developing countries, including Indonesia, leading to health problems such as skin diseases, defective bone growth, dementia, and increased mortality [1,2,3,4]. In Indonesia, vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a nutritional deficiency that is considered mild and not a public health problem, as it impacts less than 10% of the population [5]. This must be interpreted with caution as the prevalence of VAD may differ from year to year [5]. In Indonesia, the first category is the main reason for nutritional deficiencies, including VAD.

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