J Agric Rural Dev 7(1&2), 81-86, June 2009 ISSN 1810-1860 JARD Journal of Agriculture & Rural Development Available online at http://www.banglajol.info/index.php/jard K… wl I cj− x Dbœqb ¯‹zj Study on the Suitability of Banana Varieties in Relation to Preparation of Chips M. M. MOLLA 1* , T. A. A. NASRIN 2 & M. NAZRUL ISLAM 3 1,2&3 Postharvest Technology Section, HRC, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh ABSTRACT A study was conducted at Postharvest Technology Section, Horticulture Research Centre (HRC) under Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Joydebpur, Gazipur during October 2007 to December 2008 to find a suitable variety for preparation of quality banana chips and their good packaging. Three banana varieties viz. Sabri, BARI Kola-1 and BARI Kola-2 and three packaging materials viz. low density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene and metalex foil pouch were selected for this. The fresh pulps of banana were analyzed for its nutritional composition like moisture content, protein, fat, reducing sugar, non- reducing sugar and total sugar. Based on taste testing panel, freshly prepared chips from Sabri kola scored first for its colour. For crispiness, BARI Kola-2 obtained the lowest score while Sabri and BARI Kola-1 showed the same score. There was no statistically difference for taste, flavour and overall acceptability of the products. Key words: Banana chips, oil content, moisture content, packaging, sensory evaluation. INTRODUCTION Banana (Musa sapientum L) is one of the major fruit crops in Bangladesh in respect of production and area (BBS, 2006). It is available throughout the year. Its consumption rate is higher than any other fruit. It is one of the cheapest, delicious and most nourishing of all fruits. It is preferred by people of all ages. The fruits constituents mainly carbohydrates, minerals and water and thus is a rich source of energy. It has also several medicinal properties. Banana is a perishable fruit and considerable amount of it is spoiled. The perishability of the fruit is attributed to immense physiological changes after harvest (Momen et al., 1993). The magnitude of post harvest losses in fresh fruits including banana in Bangladesh is 25-50% (Amiruzzaman, 1990), whether it is only 5- 25% in developed countries (Khader, 1992). Chips are the most popular snack item in many fast food outlets. Fried banana chips may be one of the important potential banana products in Bangladesh. Banana chips may be also easily salable snack food in the markets. For longer shelf life, crispiness and chips quality moisture content is the most important factor as far as storage stability is concerned. Bacteria and other microorganism cannot grow easily in lower percentage of moisture content in chips. Visual colour is the major quality criterion for determining the commercial quality with respect to consumers’ preferences and cost of the chips (Anand et al., 1982). Packaging and storage condition are the * Corresponding author: SO, Postharvest Technology Section, HRC, BARI, Gazipur-1701, E-mail: mainuddinmolla@yahoo.com © 2009 School of Agriculture and Rural Development, Bangladesh Open University, All rights reserved.