Robusta, Dwarf Cavendish, Rasthali, Poovan, Nendran, Karpooravalli,
Monthan, Virupakshi, Sirumalai, Manoranjitham , Kathali ……. – simple
–
varieties of banana, that delicious fruit.
Recently, there was an article which explained at length that youngsters
see it as ‘elderly people’s fruit’ and do not consume much … while old people
feel that they need to eat one at least every day.
Then there is the ‘green banana’ – in one way
green is unripe …having starchy texture and inedible – but green banana is a
variety – generally big in size …… modern technology is supplying that yellow
banana in green (confusing !) – yellow ones are generally smaller – but recently
big yellow bananas – similar to the size of green ones are flooding market,
coming reportedly from Bangalore.
Banana, that delicious fruit is the common name for herbaceous
plants of the genus Musa ~ interestingly, bananas do not grow from a seed but
from a bulb or rizhome. Once the alluvial belt alongside the river Kaveri in
Thanjavur, Trichy, Thiruvaiyaru flourished with banana plantation – now with
water not fully flowing – understand that the cultivation too has suffered.
Down south in India, eating in a banana leaf is
fulfilling and traditionally food is served on big banana leaf on ceremonial
occasions. Though India
is one of the major cultivators and ranks high in terms of produce, We
unfortunately are not on top when it comes to trade, especially export trade. Though
not much from India, the
banana export has a good market especially from Mexico,
Ecuador, Costa Rica, Philippines
and Colombia.
The prospective buyers are US and Europe.
Banana
continues to be the most common fruit – and most sought after too. Every summer – mangoes of various hues comes –
and alongside fears of chemicals being used to artificially ripen the juicy
mango dents the asirations. Few know that Morris, a banana variety popular in
Chennai, is artificially ripened, but in a safe way. The technology was
developed by the Trichy-based National Research Centre for Banana in 2006 and
is a rage among banana growers according to its director. The chemical-induced artificial ripening of
mangoes using calcium carbide has triggered a major controversy and caused
apprehension among lovers of the fruit. In contrast, the artificially ripened
Morris variety is good for health and does not cause any harm, says its spokesperson. In a
bid to allay apprehension, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) had, in the year 2010, clarified that the use of ethylene gas to ripen
the fruit was safe. This variety is rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium
phosphorus and iron and is also a source of Vitamin A and C.
All that is superceded by the news that ‘super bananas' could be
on sale by 2020 – it is the fruit laced with vitamin A and human trials to tackle deficiency in
Africa are about to take place. Daily
Mail reports that Queensland University of Technology project is trialling new
bananas. Pro-vitamin A enriched fruit will be tested in U.S. volunteers for six weeks…… the fruit will
then be grown in fields across Uganda
for three years
The
world's first human trial of 'super bananas' will start soon in the hope of
providing a more nutritious source of food to Ugandans and East Africans. The
bananas will be enriched in pro-vitamin A, which the human body can break down
into 'regular' vitamin A, to tackle the consequences of vitamin A deficiency in
the regions. And, if the trial is successful, it's hoped farmers could begin
growing the enhanced food by 2020. Queensland University of Technology is
making a 'super banana' that will help address the consequences of vitamin A
deficiency, which is said to kill up to 700,000 children worldwide each year
While
the outside of the 'super bananas' will look just like any other banana, the
inside will be different. 'The banana flesh of a pro-vitamin A enriched banana
is orange rather than the cream color we are used to and in fact the greater
the pro-vitamin A content the more orange the banana flesh becomes,' lead
researcher Professor Dale said. 'We are aiming to increase the level of
pro-vitamin A to a minimum level of 20 micrograms per gram dry weight in order
to significantly improve the health status of African banana consumers.' Vitamin
A is typically found in cheese, eggs and yoghurt. Deficiency of the vitamin is
common in poorer countries where access to these foods is limited. Poorer
countries also have higher levels of disease, which can be a drain on a body's
vitamin A reserves. Symptoms include night blindness and the deficiency can
make people more susceptible to other illnesses. It is what is known as a biofortification
project, which is the process of improving the nutritional value of crops by
selective, or genetic engineering.
So it
could be time for scientific harvesting within the next three years of an elite line of banana plants in
multi-location field trials in Uganda.
Legislation to enable genetically modified crops to be commercialised in Uganda is currently
in committee stage within the Ugandan parliament. It is claimed that good science can make a
massive difference by enriching staple crops such as Ugandan bananas with
pro-vitamin A and providing poor and subsistence-farming populations with
nutritionally rewarding food. …………. Lot remains
to be tested, seen and proved.
With regards
– S. Sampathkumar
20th June 2014.
