Abstract

Traditionally, green bananas locally known as Matooke are wrapped in banana leaves during steaming for the purposes of keeping it warm. However, due to factors such as changing life styles, the spread banana wilt disease, and the emergence of synthetic materials, banana leaves are no longer the number one choice as a wrapping material during cooking. Increasingly, food vendors and cooks are turning to the use of polyethylene (PE) bags as a replacement for banana leaves. This study investigated the effect of cooking on colorimetric and texture changes of green bananas (Matooke) with and without wrapping in polyethylene bags. Color and texture changes were measured at cooking times of 1, 2 and 3 h under three holding temperatures of 65, 90 and 100°C.  In general, results showed color degradation was highest at 100°C and 3 h of cooking with PE bags. The study makes two conclusions. First, texture measurements (penetration) were better for Matooke wrapped in PE bags than without PE bags at 100°C and 3 h. Secondly, yellow was the most dominant color for the two case studies of with and without wrapping in PE bags. 

Key words: Matooke, polyethylene bags, temperature, color degradation, texture.