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Thursday, November 03, 2005
Banana fries, frozen banana to hit world market soon
HEALTH-conscious individuals from all over the world would have another craze (after banana chips) as Sagrex Foods, Inc., a subsidiary of Sagrex Corporation, introduces to the international market two latest banana products--banana fries (made out of green cardaba) and microwavable frozen banana (ripe cardaba).
It has been noted that consumers all throughout the globe are becoming more and more selective in terms of what they eat. They always tend to look for the nutritional value that they could get from the products they buy.
In the world market, the Philippine banana chips were among those products, which have first reaped a slot in the list of the most sought-after edible goods.
As a Filipino businessman, a Dabawenyo specifically, launches two by-products of cardaba banana, it is expected that the demand for the said variety of banana would increase in the days to come, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 11 Regional Director Merly M. Cruz said.
With the escalating demand for fresh cardaba banana (both green and ripe), Cruz added, farmers would have an additional market for their produce.
"In terms of revenues, on the other hand, there would also be an increment," Cruz said.
Sagrex Corp. president and chief executive officer Ferdinand Marañon's drive to produce said products was pushed by the idea of providing another opportunity for the farmers to generate more income.
"Some banana farmers right now are thinking that if they would expand their production areas ay baka hindi naman mabibili lahat ng kanilang ani. On the other hand, I have also noticed that our Filipino friends and relatives who are residing abroad ay talagang naghahanap ng saging kapag umuuwi dito sa Pilipinas. We can't really deny the fact na masarap ang banana natin. The problem is the shelf life. Few days after na napitas 'yan ay mabilis na nahihinog. So, we thought of freezing the bananas to prolong the shelf-life," said Marañon.
Marañon immediately seek the help of the Department of Science and Technology 11. The agency helped them in "discovering" the right technology for the products, which he was thinking of producing. The products are processed through blast freezing wherein the enzymes that caused the ripening of the banana are suppressed.
"Ito na 'yong sagot doon sa tanong natin kung paano maibebenta ang banana natin na hindi sya in banana chips form. With the technology, the products would last for at least six months. The Filipinos abroad, which are around eight million, can now eat banana fritters, sweetened banana, banana rolls, or grilled banana anytime they want. Itong frozen banana kasi kapag na-unfreeze na sya, same quality pa rin ang makukuha mo kapag nailuto mo na. While the banana fries are the substitute for the potato French fries," he said.
In January of this year, Marañon registered the banana fries with the Intellectual Property Office and the microwavable frozen ripe banana two months after. Both products were regarded as the "firsts" in the world, which means that anybody or any company who would like to sell the products should initially, ask permission from Marañon.
Marañon is optimistic that his latest discoveries would find their respective places in the world market.
"This is a great opportunity for us. The potato French fries market alone is a billion dollar market already. If we become successful in substituting it with our banana fries, that would be a big chance for us. Yearly din kasi malaki ang importation natin sa potato French fries, so bakit hindi na lang natin i-patronize ang banana fries natin. Malaki pa ang maitutulong nito sa ekonomiya ng ating bansa," Marañon said.
Few months from now, he added, the Sagrex Corp. would establish a plant solely for the production of banana fries and microwavable frozen banana in order to produce at least 50 tons of these products every day. Thus, about 100 tons of fresh cardaba bananas are needed daily.
To date, their capacity is only pegged at two tons per day.
"You could expect na magfu-full blast na talaga ang operation namin right after the launching which is on October 27," he said. (from DTI 11)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (November 3, 2005 issue)
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