Biofortification programs aimed at reducing vitamin A deficiency in vulnerable populations focus on staple crops, such as bananas. What is not well known is how banana’s genetics and ripening methods effect provitamin A carotenoid content and perhaps most critically, how much of it is available for absorption (bioaccessibility). A collaborative team led by Massimo Iorizzo at NC State Plants for Human Health Institute and including ACNC scientists Mario Ferruzzi and Colin Kay, evaluated carotenoid content and bioaccessibility in 27 different banana genotypes at three maturation stages and two ripening methods (natural ripening and ethylene ripening commonly used industrially). Across most banana types, total carotenoid content increased from unripe to ripe fruit; only two types showed a marginal decrease.
Ripening method affected carotenoid accumulation; 18 types had lower total carotenoid content when naturally ripened compared with the ethylene ripening group, while nine types showed higher total carotenoid content when ripened with ethylene, suggesting that treating bananas with ethylene might directly affect total carotenoid content accumulation, but the response is dependent on banana genotype. Additionally, carotenoid bioaccessibility varied across genotypes and was correlated with the amount and type of starch. These findings highlight the importance of ripening methods and genotypes in maximizing banana provitamin A carotenoid content and bioaccessibility, which could contribute to improving Vitamin A delivery in biofortification programs. This research was funded by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture.