Could cookies get ANY more a-PEEL-ing?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Hand in the cookie jar again? … Yes…. *sigh* Could someone make a NUTRITIOUS cookie?
Enter Asima Shafi and Faizan Ahmad from Aligarh Muslim University. They had an idea that was BANANAS!
They wanted to PEEL away from an unbalanced diet. Turns out banana peels actually contain many essential nutrients!
The researchers replaced regular flour with banana peel flour to make sugar cookies. They ground the peels into a fine powder and tested different amounts. Next, they measured the cookies’ hardness and textures. The best ratio was around seven percent banana peel flour.
These super cookies had MORE fiber and antioxidants. Compared to wheat, banana peel flour had over thirty percent more fiber! On top of that, they had lower fat!
Guess I’ll make like a bana-nur and SPLIT my way to a healthy diet! Ah har har har!
Reference: Shafi A, Ahmad F, Mohammad ZH. Effect of the Addition of Banana Peel Flour on the Shelf Life and Antioxidant Properties of Cookies. ACS Food Sci Technol. 2022;2(8):1355-1363. doi:10.1021/acsfoodscitech.2c00159