Guy Blomme

BANANA AND PLANTAIN (Musa spp.) CULTIVAR PREFERENCE, LOCAL PROCESSING TECHNIQUES AND CONSUMPTION PATTERNS IN EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

This cross-sectional study carried out in North Kivu (NK) and South Kivu (SK) of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo aimed to identify the most preferred Musa cultivars, their processing/cooking methods and Musa consumption patterns among rural households. Our results showed that the preferred cooking banana varieties included yellow-pulped AAA-East African Highland bananas (EAHB) Nshikazi (SK) and Vulambya (NK), which were valued for their cooking qualities, large bunches and suitability for production of banana beer. The preferred plantains were orange-pulped and included Musheba (SK) and Musilongo (NK) and were preferred for their short maturation period, large bunches and higher market prices. Over 60% of the households examined had consumed EAHB within 24 hours, whereas 55% of households from SK and NK consumed banana products between 2 and 4 times/week. This information will be used to help direct researchers on the Musa cultivars that could be further sampled for carotenoid analysis and those found to be rich could be used in the fast-tracking approach to reduce Vitamin A deficiency.