Development and Characterization of Banana Syrup from Disqualified Export-Grade Bananas

Abstract

Banana is a highly perishable tropical fruit, and significant post-harvest losses occur due to rapid ripening and the rejection of export-grade fruits based on external morphological defects, despite their nutritional adequacy. Utilization of such disqualified bananas for value-added products can reduce food waste and improve economic returns. This study aimed to develop banana syrup from disqualified export-grade bananas and evaluate its physicochemical characteristics, sensory acceptability, and storage stability. Banana juice was extracted from ripe banana and concentrated to obtain syrup with a total soluble solids content of 75.0 ± 1.0 °Brix. The developed syrup contained 30.6 ± 1.2% moisture, 60.64 ± 1.54% carbohydrates, 1.42 ± 0.76% crude protein, 3.54 ± 0.21% crude fat, 6.0 ± 0.5% fibre, and 3.80 ± 0.56% ash. The syrup exhibited pH 4.18 ± 0.01, titratable acidity 0.783 ± 0.04% (malic acid), reducing sugars 33.89 ± 3.87 g%, and viscosity 707.0 ± 0.80 cP. Color analysis showed CIE L* 79.9 ± 0.6, a* 5.1 ± 0.5, and b* 67.9 ± 0.4, indicating a yellow appearance. Sensory evaluation using a 9-point hedonic scale revealed high overall acceptability (8.55 ± 0.37). During storage at room temperature, the syrup remained stable with no significant changes in quality parameters for 21 days (P > .05); however, fermentation signs appeared by 28 days. The results demonstrate the potential of banana syrup as a nutritious natural sweetener while providing a sustainable approach to reduce post-harvest losses.