Every time you throw away the skin of a banana, you are making a serious mistake. Y science proves us right. Although it sounds unlikely, the Banana peel is a very useful ingredient and above all, very nutritious. If this is the first time you are hearing about it, we will give you the keys to using this nutritional product.
In a study published by ACS Food Science and Technology, three scientists studied the benefits of including banana peel flour in recipes. To learn, they added this powder to some cookies for which only wheat flour is usually used.
The results of the study suggested that cookies enriched with banana peel flour have improvement of antioxidant properties having almost no negative effect on its physical properties or its taste. Furthermore, the research concluded that banana peels were a better alternative for making cookies as they contained more fiber, magnesium and potassium.
However, the researchers also found that adding too much banana peel to the cookies resulted in a texture harder than that of a cookies I am using. They concluded that the ideal proportion of plantain flour compared to wheat flour would be a 7.5%because in this ratio the qualities improved, the quality did not decrease and, moreover, the cookies were kept for three months at room temperature.
Ideal ingredient for cooking cakes
This is not the only sweet recipe for which the banana peel is useful. Another study, this time from the Menoufia University, Egyptshowed that both banana skin and mango skin are very useful ingredients for cooking cakes.
These researchers found very clear health benefits in the peel of these fruits, recommending the use of a 10% flour from banana or mango peels for cooking cakes. While the mango peel provided more protein, carbohydrates and energy value, the banana peel had higher moisture, healthy fat and fiber content. If you want to know how to use this stuff in your homemade cakes, we leave it to you a recipe which gives you some ideas.
Banana peels to improve bread
The same percentage of banana flour (ten percent) is perfect for improving the nutritional quality of bread. ONE 2016 study found that using this substitute can enrich baked bread with higher protein, fiber, carbohydrate, and fat content.
Although the benefits of this ingredient are not yet well known, slowly it is networks have begun to resonate from this information, preparing different recipes with banana peels. Since it is somewhat complicated to make or find flour from banana peels, some people add the own skin cooked with water and sugar.
If you’re not into baking or baking, don’t worry. You can also include this ingredient in some savory recipes, such as mechada (pulled pork) or breaded. Although it requires a little more effort than using other types of products, science has shown that its nutritional benefits are truly worth it.
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