BACKGROUND Banana is a staple food in many regions with high iron deficiency and may be a potential vehicle for iron fortification. However, iron absorption from bananas is not known. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate total iron absorption from raw and cooked bananas. DESIGN Thirty women (34.9±6.6 years) from rural Mexico were randomly assigned to one of two groups each ...

This study investigated the optimization of D-lactic acid production from unutilized biomass, specifically banana peel and corncob by multiple parallel fermentation (MPF) with Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Aspergillus awamori. The factors involved in MPF that were assessed in this study comprised banana peel and corncob, KH2PO4, Tween 80, MgSO4·7H2O, NaCl, yeast extract, and diammonium hydrogen...

Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum species is a common postharvest disease of banana fruit. We investigated and identified Colletotrichum species associated with anthracnose in several local banana cultivars based on morphological characteristics and sequencing of ITS regions and of the β-tubulin gene. Thirty-eight Colletotrichum isolates were encountered in anthracnose lesions of five local ...

The effect of gamma radiation on the shelf life extension of Bananas was studied. Bananas were treated with three gamma radiation doses of 0.30k Gy; 0.40k Gy and 0.50k Gy for 5 mins respectively and stored in a dry place under room conditions (25±2°C/ 80± 5% RH). The physical conditions of the radiation treated and control bananas were observed at every 2 days interval for their organoleptic pr...

Most reports on fruit antioxidant capacities are based on extraction of antioxidants using polar solvents. In banana, little is known about the fate of bioactive compounds during the digestion process, particularly in the food matrix under the gastric and intestinal conditions. In the present study, an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion method was used to simulate physiological conditions of t...

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) is one of the most important threats to global banana production. Strategies to control the pathogen are lacking, with plant resistance offering the only long-term solution, if sources of resistance are available. Prevention of introduction of Foc into disease-free areas thus remains a key strategy to continue sustainable banana production. In recent year...

A memory color is an observer’s knowledge of a typical object color. The typicality of the memorized color implies that the observer considers the memory color to be representative or “canonical” for the range of colors, in which the respective object occurs. In this way, it determines the observer’s expectation about an object’s color based on her or his prior knowledge. For example, an observ...

Blood disease bacterium A2 HR-MARDI was isolated from banana plants infected with banana blood disease and which were planted in Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia. Here, we report a draft genome sequence of blood disease bacterium A2 HR-MARDI, which could provide important information on the virulence mechanism of this pathogen.

We report that the anti-retroviral and anti-hepadnavirus molecules, adefovir, tenofovir and 9-(2-phosphonomethoxyethyl)-2,6-diaminopurine (PMEDAP), efficiently eradicate the episomal form of Banana streak virus (BSV) from banana plants. Up to 90% of plants regenerated from BSV-infected highly proliferating meristems were virus free following a 6-month treatment period with 10 microg/ml (a non-p...