Product Development of Ready-to-Drink Hom Thong Banana (Musa acuminata, AAA Group) Peels Derived from Agricultural Waste in Phetchaburi Province

Abstract

Phetchaburi Province is one of the leading areas in Thailand for Hom Thong banana production, resulting in a large amount of banana peel waste from consumption and processing. Although research has indicated several benefits of banana peels, their utilization remains limited and lacks diversity. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a ready-to-drink (RTD) Hom Thong banana peel tea in order to add value to agricultural by-products in the local area. The study investigated the optimal tea production process using five different ratios of banana peel tea to water: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5% (w/v). The results showed that using 1.5% (w/v) of tea to water was the most suitable ratio in terms of physical and chemical quality, as well as consumer preference. Furthermore, adding monk fruit syrup to the tea at 0.2% (w/v) received the highest consumer preference score (p<0.05). A 200 ml bottle of RTD tea provides 60 kcal. After pasteurization and storage at 4±2°C for 14 days, only minor physical and chemical changes were observed, while microbiological quality remained within the standards of the Ministry of Public Health Announcement (No. 416/2563) and the Community Product Standard (CPS 1007/2015). This study demonstrates that the development of this product can be further applied as a guideline for adding value to banana peels in the Phetchaburi area.