The importance of maturation point at nutritional level

Banana is a one of the favorites of consumers and in this factors such as taste and nutritional contribution have some weight. It is evident for consumers that the taste of bananas, such as their texture, changes as fruit is maturing. It may not be so obvious, but the Nutritional characteristics From this fruit they also change in a similar measure with the maturation of the fruit. What exactly is what is happening?

The banana is usually recognized as a great source of potassium (a banana can contribute about 10% of the potassium that we require throughout the day), but of course it is much more than that. This fruit It gives us diverse nutrients as magnesium or phosphorus, as well as vitamin B6. It also gives us macronutrients such as proteins, fats and hydrates. And of course, banana is a great fiber source.

However, the proportion of nutrients that one of these fruits can give us depends on a factor that sometimes we do not take into account, its maturation. All fruit, when maturing, changes its chemical composition. This is what makes properties change such as texture and flavor.

But this chemical change also implies something that we do not obviously perceive, a change in your nutritional contribution. The banana It is one Of the best examples of this.

The key to change is in carbohydrates of this fruit. In immature bananas, green, starches predominate. With the passage of time and maturation, banana starch is transformed, through chemical changes that They give rise to transformation Of these starches in simple sugars such as fructose and glucose, as well as the disaccharide resulting from the union of both, sucrose.

This change has as a consequence that ripe bananas have a softer texture and a Sweetest tastewhich makes them a sweetener for desserts and other recipes in which their sweetness is required. On the other hand, if what interests us is its fiber contribution, a greener banana will be our best option.

In bananas predominates The call “Resistant starch”, Which we can consider a type of food fiber. Our small intestine does not break these compounds, but can be collected and consumed by the bacteria that reside in our digestive tract. That is why green bananas can be seen as a better fiber and fiber source Prebiotics.

These “ferment” this starch, releasing fatty acid acids as the butyrate, which could have a positive impact on our health. Bananas are also a pectin sourcea soluble fiber in water.

The glycemic index

The changes given during the banana maturation process have another consequence, and it is that The glycemic index (IG) of this fruit It also changes. Thus, the IG of a more mature banana can be around the value of 51, while one without maturing could be around 24. A value above 55 is usually considered low, which implies that this fruit does not generate a considerable glucose peak.

Of course, the glycemic load (CG) of this fruit can be considered moderate, with indices above 10 for both green and ripe fruit. The CG of this fruit would be around 13 in the case of the most mature specimens, being 11 in the case of the least mature.

Our preference for more or less mature bananas surely focuses on its flavor and texture, but taking into account the specific properties of each degree of maturation can help us choose bananas depending on what we want to achieve.

Green bananas:

• Fiber and prebiotic source
• Lower glycemic index
• Less sweet taste and firmer texture

Mature bananas:

• Sugars replace fiber
• Greater glycemic index, but still low
• Sweet taste and soft texture (convenient for some recipes)

All measures that tell us about the proportion of nutrients in fruits are estimates or averages. It is not possible to give a generic and universal value to the presence of a nutrient in a fruit since there are very different factors that affect its chemical composition.

The degree of maturation is one of the most important. It is also one that can change even while the fruit rests in our pantries. But it is not the only one.

The variety of the plant that has given the fruit, the climate of the place where it has been cultivated and the meteorology of the year in which the fruit has grown are factors that affect the taste and the nutritional characteristics of a fruit. What makes it special to degree of maturation It allows us to have some control over the nutrients that the fruit unit gives us to be able to adjust them to what our body or our palate requires on each occasion.

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