Lund University. Sweden: Food waste is completely bananas, according to a group of Master’s
students in Food Technology at Lund University in Sweden. In fact, a
significant amount of the 100 million tonnes of bananas produced
annually worldwide is discarded before it even reach consumers.
The Lund University students were asked to find ways of using these
rejected bananas, as a part of their course work. After some
brainstorming, they came up with the idea of a flour – meaning they
could also use the banana peel, reducing waste further.
They
experimented with a formula where they dried and milled the unpeeled
bananas. Initially, the flour was too sticky since it contained too
little starch. They then decided to boil the bananas first. Once the
method was perfected, there was no need for any additives, meaning the
flour consists of only banana.
”We set out to reduce waste, but
quickly realized that the flour also has some health benefits. Banana
peels contain dietary fiber, the flour is gluten-free - and because it
is naturally sweet, you can lower the amount of sugar you use when you
bake with it”, says Nathalie Knopp, one of the students in the group.
So
far, the students have made pasta and cakes using the flour, with
promising results. Cereals and pancakes are other foods they believe
would be a good fit for their product.
Since bananas are made of
up 80% water, you need quite a lot of them to make the flour. Also, the
students only use organic bananas, as using the peel means avoiding
pesticides becomes an issue. Even so, if fruit is being thrown out
simply because its appearance is unappealing to shoppers, the students’
solution seems like a great alternative.
Finally… what does the flour taste like, then?
”It
does have a subtle banana flavor. However, it’s very mild and pleasant,
and depends on what other ingredients you combine it with”, concludes
Natalie Knopp.