Background of the Study

In the Philippines, scientists, interest in agricultural waste has increased, and the
waste has become attractive to explore and benefit from, rather than being neglected
waste. Banana peels have attracted the attention of the researchers due to their
bioactive chemical components, thus the researchers focused on this review article of
banana peels that can be used as good sources of natural antioxidants and for
pharmaceutical purposes in treating various diseases. Banana is an edible fruit
belonging to the Genus Musa (Musaceae), cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions.
Banana peels are used as supplementary feed for livestock in their cultivation areas. Its
massive by-products are an excellent source of high-value raw materials for other
industries by recycling agricultural waste. Hence, the goal is to use banana by-products
in various food and nonfood applicants and sources of natural bioactive compounds. It
can be concluded that banana peel can be successfully used in food, pharmaceutical,
and other industries. Therefore, banana residues may provide new avenues and
research areas for the future.

Furthermore Bananas are sweet, soft fruits popular all over the world. Their thick,
fibrous peels, however, are a less popular source of nutrition, at least in Western
countries. But contrary to what many people believe, banana peels are not only safe to
eat, they also offer a number of health benefits. For instance both bananas and banana
peels may offer different health benefits depending on their level of ripeness. Underripe,
green bananas may be more effective in treating digestive issues, while riper,
blackened bananas have been shown to help white blood cells fight off disease and
infection. The high levels of tryptophan in bananas, combined with the B6 in banana
peels, can help relieve some symptoms of depression and other mood disorders.
Tryptophan turns into serotonin, as it breaks down, which can improve your mood.
Vitamin B6 can help improve sleep, which has a positive impact on mood over time.
Banana peel can make for a healthy afternoon snack or a delectably healthy dessert.
Get creative and you'll soon see why chefs around the world commonly leave the
banana peels on. Unlike the inside of a banana, which is soft and sweet, a banana peel
is harder and bitterer. The more ripe your banana, the sweeter and softer the peel will
be. It's also important to wash the peel thoroughly to remove any fertilizer or chemicals
the fruit may have been sprayed with. There are a number of ways banana peel can be
prepared to make it even more delicious: Blended into smoothies, Caramelized with
water and sugar to use as an ice cream topping, Baked with cinnamon and sugar,
Boiled until softened and eaten with a spoon, Made into banana vinegar and added to
salads and Cooked with meat on top of it. In addition to the nutritional benefits of eating
banana peels, there are environmental benefits as well. Bananas are the most widely
eaten fresh fruit in America. By eating the peels, you can help minimize the amount of
food that goes to landfills.
 A related literature that supports the last claim provided by Layla Khoury-Hanold
(2024) Stated, with more people focused on reducing waste in the kitchen, we are
finding creative ways to incorporate food scraps in cooking. Wouldn't it be nice, for
example, if you could eat banana peels? Maybe you can.

The research about Banana Peel: A Green Solution for Metal Removal from
Contaminated Waters further supports the claim by Akrunakumara, Walpola and Yoon,
Stated, that certain crop-based waste materials have been recognized as cost-effective
and highly efficient absorbents for removal and recovery of different kind of heavy
metals from aqueous solutions. The ability is strongly attributed to the carboxyl
functional group of some pectin substances such as galacturonic acid often found in
fruit peels. The present manuscript was aimed at assessing the potential applicability of
banana peel for metal removal from contaminated waters. In conclusion since the
annual world production of banana exceeds 100 million tons, about 40 million tons of
banana peel (40% of total weight of the fresh fruit) remains vastly unused. Exploring a
sound technology with banana peel would therefore, not only address the much needed
sustainable tool for cleaning contaminated waters, but of course bring an additional
value the to the banana industry worldwide.

Other interesting related literatures about banana peels, Energy harnessing from
banana plan waste: A review by Bhushan, Rana et al. (2019) Stated, energy can be
harnessed from banana biomass through different conversion modules. Thermal,
thermochemical and biochemical conversion routes were explored by different research
groups. The selection of a conversion route for a biomass is very crucial. It involves
biomass composition, quantity, and moisture content. In conclusion banana biomass is
a potential feedstock for bioenergy generation and can be explored further to meet the
ever-expanding energy demands. Proper segregation of banana biomass can help in
the selection of suitable pre-processing, pretreatment modules as well as conversion
route for biofuel production. Biochemical conversion routes are more desirable over
thermal and thermochemical because of the high moisture content of banana biomass.
Overall, it is recommended that the banana peel and rotten.

In addition, the study on the use of banana peels for oil spill removal by Alaa,
Amer et al. (2018) Stated, oil spill is now considered one of the most important concerns
of the world, because it causes a great risk for the environmental and marine life. Spills
have many sources, such as oil transport, energy sources, waste disposal, accidents
and the production of oil. These sources are linked to human activities. More than 5
million tons of crude oil is transported annually around the world by the sea, putting the
ecosystem in danger. Subsequently, the environmental and marine lives are affected by
spills, particularly birds, shorelines, shell fishes, mosses and sea creatures. On the
other hand, a chemical dispersant is one of the most common techniques used to
remove oil spill. However, these methods may be harmful and a reason for killing fishes.
 The novelty of the research is overall to develop the banana peel cake to
showcase that the banana peel is also a suitable alternative main ingredient for banana
cake, in addition the research also has indicated that it contributes to recycling food and
preventing waste on our community: when your food waste is recycled, it can be used to
create some useful stuff that helps the planet. Chief among these are natural forms of
energy, such as biogas, which are created through a process called 'anaerobic
digestion' and provide an excellent alternative to fossil fuels. Apart from banana peels
being a great contribution, a fact that may support the research is that: Banana peel
waste can take two years to decompose and produce excessive emission of
greenhouse gases (GHG) that contribute to climate change. In conclusion reducing
wasted food does great things for the environment in given that it saves resources, it
gives free biofuel for the community and other great utilities of the banana peel.

The research has established various weaknesses and flaws of the study against
the development of banana peel as an alternative main ingredient for banana cake, it
implies that banana peels are a rotting organic matter that can attract pests such as fruit
flies, develop fungus gnats and even sweet eating bugs. That may perhaps affect our
research study in significance

Giving consideration to the related literature the researchers conducted a logical

flow to enhance the comprehension of the readers in a form of conducting the contrast
of the research to the other literatures and to portray its great significance and
uniqueness on the field of the great uses of banana peels.