GREEN BANANA PROCESSING IN BRAZIL: STATE OF THE ART

Abstract

The banana production chain is an important Brazilian agribusiness sector. The crop is distributed throughout the national territory, primarily exploited by family farming but equally attractive to corporate agriculture. Throughout its chain, a significant portion of the production is lost due to fruits having no commercial value. However, these fruits can be used as raw material for processing. The green banana is a food with functional characteristics and has been the subject of study by many researchers. This research sought to understand the state of the art of green banana processing in Brazil. For this purpose, exploratory research was carried out using an online search engine and in situ research in the Cerealista Zone of São Paulo. Green banana processing is mainly used to produce chips, flour, and biomass, which, in part, can be sold as food or as ingredients for industry. The activity is primarily explored by microbusinesses, both rural and urban, but is well distributed among companies of various sizes. In physical establishments, there is a preference for bulk products, which are easily found in stores. The packaging contains information related to health, the environment, culture, and family connections, but more detailed information about the raw material is often missing. Despite being popular in the scientific community, banana starch has not been commercially available. The study quantified and categorized the scenario of products and manufacturers active in the processing of green bananas, but does not allow for the assessment of trends, for which more research would be needed.