MAKE YOUR COOKIES MORE TASTY AND NUTRITIOUS WITH JUST BANANA PEEL FLOUR!

Have you actually thought of integrating your sustainable nature of composting your food wastes into your actual recipe? Although not all food remnants are going to complement your baking, bakers - there's still one ingredient that may actually be worth looking into: yes, banana peels!! Actually, to be more precise, its banana peel flour haha!

Might sound funny, because sure enough, you might have probably heard of oat or almond flour, but a new study actually revealed that using banana peels along with traditional flour can actually provide you with an array of nutritional benefits. Compared to cookies without any banana additions, cookies that had 15% wheat flour substituted with banana peel flour had the highest level of moisture, which is quite a matter of concern for cookie consistency, and high levels of micronutrient content as well, along with a significant increase in antioxidant properties without changing the appearance or flavour of the cookie.

Banana flour is mostly made of carbohydrates, but it also provides some protein and fiber. Although cookies without any banana additions, containing just wheat flour, actually have the highest volume of fat and protein, the overall nutritional value was improved by mixing banana peel flour with wheat flour while baking. Banana peels contain high amounts of organic compounds, and their decomposition in landfills is a significant source of potent greenhouse gases like methane.

So first of all, let me introduce you to how this banana peel flour was first made, by the researchers. Initially, the banana skins were blanched, after which they were dried and then finally grounded into a fine powder. This banana peel flour was then mixed with different amounts of wheat flour, powdered sugar, vegetable oil, butter and skimmed milk powder, to create five different batches of sugar cookies, and then finally baked. The cookies supplemented with banana peel will have improved functional and nutritional properties, as well as, enhanced shelf life because banana peel is rich in phenols and antioxidants. Polyphenols are strong antioxidants which have been researched and shown to improve blood flow and circulation within one's body, which can further assist in reducing one's blood pressure and improving heart health. 

Banana peels are not safe to consume in their raw form due to their exposure to bacteria which can negatively affect health, various pesticides and environmental pollutants. Hence, they need an extra preparation before consumption. Some studies have shown that drying banana peels at high temperatures can lead to the loss of beneficial compounds. Cooking food products containing banana peel flour could lead to a further loss of such compounds. Well, these banana peels also contain antinutrients already - like oxalate, tannin and phytate, which can limit the absorption of food and adversely impact health. Fruit peels are also prone to the accumulation of toxic substances such as pesticides and heavy metals. All this simply implies that much more research and regulations are needed before the widespread use of banana peel as a food item. 

Well, guess what, banana peels can also play a role in producing biofuel and fertilizers, and even help in wastewater treatment! Banana peels also contain high levels of the amino acid - tryptophan, which can improve the quality of sleep. Furthermore, potassium and magnesium present in banana peels are associated with muscle relaxation. These properties, along with high antioxidant levels, have also led to the use of banana peels for brewing tea. 

So, for those of you, looking for ways to reduce food waste, this may be a good option. Also, for all our COVID created chefs (sounds classy for some reason, mostly because the pandemic helped some go into cooking, baking and what not) as well as our non COVID created chefs, whatever it is - if you are seeking ideas to experiment with by trying new ingredients, banana peel might actually be something that would challenge your culinary abilities. Especially, if you are gluten-free and would like to increase fiber in gluten-free baking.... Well, although banana peels provide additional fiber and vitamins/minerals when used as an ingredient, they still can't occupy any place in a balanced diet. 

Pic credits: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9870/easy-sugar-cookies/

https://nuffoodsspectrum.in/2022/08/12/scientists-use-banana-peel-flour-to-make-better-sugar-cookies.html