Profiles of prebiotic fructooligosaccharides, inulin and sugars as well as physicochemical properties of banana and its snacks as affected by ripening stage and applied drying methods

摘要

Contents of fructooligosaccharides and inulin along with those of selected sugars in fresh banana of different ripening stages were first determined. Banana was then processed into snacks either by hot air drying (HD) or low-pressure superheated steam drying (LPSSD). Selected physicochemical properties of both fresh banana (moisture content, water activity, flesh-to-peel ratio, total soluble solids content, pH, titratable acidity and firmness) and its snacks (microstructure, texture and color) were investigated. Fresh banana of ripening stage 5 exhibited higher fructooligosaccharides, inulin and sugar contents; its snacks also possessed maximum fructooligosaccharides and inulin contents. Drying methods did not have any significant effect on the contents of these prebiotics. Although snacks from banana of ripening stage 5 possessed higher sugar contents, such contents, when snacks are consumed at the recommended amount, are still lower than the recommend daily intake. Stage-5 LPSSD snack exhibited better texture and color than its HD counterpart, so the former has a potential of being a prebiotic-based snack.