Author(s):

K Ashokkumar, S Elayabalan, VG Shobana, P Sivakumar and M Pandiyan

Abstract: Banana is the most important tropical fruit of the world. Bananas and plantains are the fourth most important food crop in the world. Currently, ~200-300 cultivars are existent in countries that grow them. Nevertheless, only few cultivars are cultivated on large scale. In some of the African countries bananas are staple food. Hence, it is essential to know the nutritional and biochemical of different banana cultivars including recent cultivars. There are wide variations reported in different banana cultivars for Vitamins (riboflavin, folate, & vitamin C), Carotenoids (β-carotene, α-carotene, lutein, & zeaxanthin) minerals (P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, & B). Inadequate intake of vitamin A, iron and zinc in the East African and South East Asia region peoples are highly affected nutritional disorders. Promoting consumption of bananas with enhanced micronutrient content as well as enriching bananas with micronutrients through breeding could go a long way towards preventing micronutrient deficiencies in the region, since bananas are a widely consumed staple. This review elaborates the nutritionally important compounds such as carotenoids, vitamins and minerals in various recent banana cultivars from different parts of the world.

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