Thiruvananthapuram: An instant drink powder with an unlikely ingredient, the pseudostem of a plantain, can help address a waste problem faced by banana farmers, believes Kerala Agri-culture University’s Centre of Excellence in Post Harvest Technology. Norm-ally the pseudo-stem takes long to decompose. If it can be turned into a value-added product, it can be a resource, say scientists. The instant drink powder is similar to other ready-to-drink powders, but without preservatives. Desp-ite that, it has a shelf life of six months. “It is tough to handle banana pseudo-stem. However, when it is dried and turned into a powder, it can even be exported,” says K.P. Sudheer, project coordinator.
Many Kerala homes are familiar with a mixture of banana pseudo-stem and horsegram (‘mudira’ in Malayalam) powder, which they use while frying banana. The KAU team decided to use the same combination for two reasons. “The quantity of powder from each pseudo-stem is not much. We figured horsegram powder can be used as a filling. It has an additional advantage, because of its medicinal properties. It can prevent kidney stone formation,” says Sudheer. Natural flavours can be added to the mix.
The project was ready for technology transfer six months ago, and there have been close to 10 enquiries from manufacturers. However, the university would not sign an MoU with someone who cannot ensure the availability of good quality pseudo-stem without any pesticide or insecticide residue. At the National Banana Festival at Kalliyoor too, there were enquiries. In fact, it was to help farmers make the best of organic farming, finding more value-added products from plantain, that the project was devised. Pseudo-stem management is going to be more important as the state government has been advocating green protocol, which could mean a greater demand for banana leaves in the future.
