Research Article
Storage Stability and Quality Assessment of Red Banana (Musa acuminata) Complementary Powder Using Microbial, Antioxidant, and Organoleptic Parameters
Pattanashetti S1* and Meti R2
Department of Food Processing and Nutrition, Karnataka State Akkamahadevi Women’s University, Vijayapura, Karnataka, India.
*Corresponding author:Shweta Pattanashetti, Department of Food Processing and Nutrition, Karnataka State Akkamahadevi Women’s University, Vijayapura, Karnataka, India. E- mail Id: svpattanashetti1997@gmail.com
Article Information:Submission: 10/06/2026; Accepted: 14/07/2026; Published: 16/07/2026
Copyright: © 2026 Pattanashetti S, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Complementary feeding plays a crucial role in meeting the nutritional requirements of infants after six months of age. The present study aimed to develop and evaluate a value-added Red Banana (Musa acuminata) complementary powder and assess its storage stability, antioxidant activity, microbiological quality, and organoleptic acceptability. The complementary powder was formulated using finger millet (16%), rice (24%), soybean (8%), pigeon pea (8%), green gram (8%), Bengal gram (8%), cashew nut (4%), almond (4%), and red banana powder (20%). The ingredients were processed, blended, and packaged in foodgrade laminated polyethene pouches under hygienic conditions.
Storage studies were conducted under room temperature for 60 days, and samples were analysed at 0, 30, and 60 days for Total Colony Count (TCC), Fungal/Mould count, DPPH antioxidant activity, and sensory attributes. Organoleptic evaluation was carried out using a 9-point hedonic scale by a panel of 30–40 semi-trained and trained members.
Results indicated that the Total Colony Count increased marginally from 0.06 × 10⁻⁴ CFU/g at day 0 to 0.16 × 10⁻⁴ CFU/g at day 60, while Fungal/mould growth was not detected at 0 and 30 days and remained extremely low (0.02 × 10⁻⁴ CFU/g) at 60 days, demonstrating good microbial stability during storage. Antioxidant activity showed a slight decline from 47.62% to 45.03% DPPH inhibition during the storage period. Statistical analysis revealed that these changes were non-significant (p > 0.05). Organoleptic evaluation demonstrated good consumer acceptability, with overall acceptability scores ranging from 7.52 to 7.87 throughout storage. No significant differences were observed in appearance, colour, flavour, texture, taste, or overall acceptability during the study period.
The findings suggest that Red Dacca Banana Complementary Powder is a nutritionally enriched, microbiologically safe, antioxidant-rich, and consumer acceptable complementary food with satisfactory storage stability for up to 60 days under room temperature.
Storage studies were conducted under room temperature for 60 days, and samples were analysed at 0, 30, and 60 days for Total Colony Count (TCC), Fungal/Mould count, DPPH antioxidant activity, and sensory attributes. Organoleptic evaluation was carried out using a 9-point hedonic scale by a panel of 30–40 semi-trained and trained members.
Results indicated that the Total Colony Count increased marginally from 0.06 × 10⁻⁴ CFU/g at day 0 to 0.16 × 10⁻⁴ CFU/g at day 60, while Fungal/mould growth was not detected at 0 and 30 days and remained extremely low (0.02 × 10⁻⁴ CFU/g) at 60 days, demonstrating good microbial stability during storage. Antioxidant activity showed a slight decline from 47.62% to 45.03% DPPH inhibition during the storage period. Statistical analysis revealed that these changes were non-significant (p > 0.05). Organoleptic evaluation demonstrated good consumer acceptability, with overall acceptability scores ranging from 7.52 to 7.87 throughout storage. No significant differences were observed in appearance, colour, flavour, texture, taste, or overall acceptability during the study period.
The findings suggest that Red Dacca Banana Complementary Powder is a nutritionally enriched, microbiologically safe, antioxidant-rich, and consumer acceptable complementary food with satisfactory storage stability for up to 60 days under room temperature.
Keywords:Red Dacca banana; Musa acuminata; complementary food; storage stability; antioxidant activity; organoleptic evaluation; infant nutrition.