Properties of ripe banana flour and application to gluten‐free breadmaking

Abstract

Banana flour (BF) prepared from ripe banana fruit after different ripening periods was substituted for gluten to produce gluten-free bread based on several starches and cereal flours. The properties of the prepared BF were characterized. In the first breadmaking trial using a flour blend of BF and wheat starch (1:1 (w/w)), the optimal breadmaking conditions were defined. In the second breadmaking trial, the flour blend ratio of BF and wheat starch (1:9 (w/w)) was optimized. The highest specific volume (SV; 5.01 cm3/g) was obtained in the sample with 2-week BF and 70% water (% on a flour basis). The above optimal condition was applied to the other four starches and eight cereal flours. Higher SVs (3.53–4.21 cm3/g) could be observed in starches compared to cereal flours. The ripe banana flour was shown to have good potential as a substitute for gluten. Practical applications This research shows the usefulness of ripe banana flour (BF) as a substitute for gluten in gluten-free (GF) breadmaking. The findings revealed that the swelling ability on GF breadmaking was achieved when 10% BF was prepared from banana fruit treated at 20°C for 2 weeks was used as a substitute for gluten. The application of the BF for GF breadmaking was developed using four starches and seven cereal flours. The starches were superior to the cereal flours regarding bread quality.