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Feature Stories - General - Biotechnology

Written by Dondon Carlo P. Lejano

Wednesday, 10 June 2009 22:17

Being an industry that employs more than 40,000 people, the banana enterprise is among the Philippines' leading earners in the fruit business which contributes notably to the country's export revenues.

In spite of the banana industry's huge potentials for the export market, it is being plagued with some concerns in production in terms of "rejects." Reject is the term being used to refer to bananas which do not satisfy the quality standard for export due to size or peel discoloration.

These rejects are still suitable for processing, though. Unfortunately, there is a rather small business in the international trade for processed bananas. Ergo, the banana industry produces a lot of wastage which can be avoided only if given ample attention.

The National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) has previously developed a technology for large scale pectinase ready for commercialization. Pectinases are enzymes that disintegrate pectic substances in plant tissues into smaller molecules. Using pectic enzymes is considered an alternative way of producing high value products from banana through the enzymatic process.
The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) supported the BIOTECH's project which primarily aimed to utilize the pectinase they produced for the development of quality products from banana. Also among the project's objectives was to use banana's by-products particularly the peel to produce high-value foodstuffs.

The said project, "Utilization of Pectic Enzymes for Banana Product Development and By-Product Utilization," ran from 2001-2004 with the BIOTECH and the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) as the implementing and collaborating agencies, respectively.

Through the course of the project, they conducted a large scale production of pectic enzymes for banana product development and by-product utilization using BIOTECH-optimized conditions. They also studied the different methods of pectic enzyme immobilization. Moreover, they tried to develop the enzymatic processes for the production of banana juice and banana wine.

With the success of this project, high-value products from banana by-products are made available for consumption. Aside from banana puree, ready-to-drink juice, and banana wine, banana oil and other banana extracts/essences were also developed because of this undertaking.

By proper utilization and upgrading of the value status of banana rejects, wastage from banana production in the country is greatly reduced, if not totally eradicated.

Originally posted in the Bureau of Agricultural Research website, http://www.bar.gov.ph