Researchers develop 'apeeling' banana flour cookies

Banana peels are finding their way into more meals as consumers look for ways to reduce waste and optimise their food usage. The skins are used variously as a binder for bakers, a source of fibre, a replacement for bacon and simply as a chewy ingredient of curries and sauces.

Research has already found that banana peels can impart nutritional benefits as the skins are rich in fibre, magnesium, potassium and antioxidant compounds.

Previous studies have evaluated the use of banana peel flour in cakes and breads, finding that there were nutritional advantages to its use. Now scientists from the Aligarh Muslim University and the University of Houston have looked at how banana peel flour (BPF) can benefit cookies. Their research was published in ACS Food Science & Technology.

The researchers made the BPF themselves: they blanched, dried and ground the skins, which resulted in a fine powder to be added to a standard sugar cookie recipe. The BPF replaced varying amounts of wheat flour, with the experiment testing how consumers liked the resulting treats.

Changing the percentage of BPF (with a range of 0 to 15%) vastly changed the flavour, colour and hardness of the scientists’ cookies. The more of the flour that was used, the harder the cookie was and although the tough cookies were more nutritious, they weren’t as enjoyable for a panel of tasters.

In the end the scientists discovered that the best balance was to use 7.5% BPF. With this quantity of the flour, the cookies were still tender and supple, and had an enjoyable colour and flavour while also possessing good nutritional qualities. They also has a longer shelf life at room temperature.

The researchers said the flour could be used by manufacturers to bolster nutrition in a relatively cheap and reliable way without affecting how consumers enjoy baked products.

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