Want... A farmer in Taiwan's southern county of Pingtung, in collaboration with a Japanese expert, has successfully developed a starch made from green bananas that can facilitate weight loss and has already hit the Japanese market, a farmer's cooperative in the county said Tuesday.
The starch, a type that is not digested in the stomach or small intestine, reaching the colon intact and touted as a miracle weight-loss cure, will also be made available on the Taiwan market later this month, Pingtung Yunghsin Fruit and Vegetable Distribution Cooperative chairman Chiu Yung-feng said at a press conference.
Chiu and Katsuaki Hayashibara, the head of Japan's Vantec, have jointly produced starch from green bananas, according to Chiu.
The starch is a prebiotic, which can help improve people's digestion and immune system. Prebiotics are indigestible substances that pass through the gastrointestinal tract and promote the growth of good bacteria in the lower bowel, according to Hyashibara.
Unlike other carbohydrates such as sugar and most other starches, the banana starch is not entirely broken down by the body but is digested like fiber, which means that it passes into the large intestine intact. According to media reports, this can aid weight-loss and is beneficial for weight management.
The starch has attracted a lot of attention at international food expositions in Taiwan and Japan since it is the first of its kind to hit the market, Hyashibara said.
The starch is also found in some other fruits, grains, legumes and vegetables, according to Chiu. The new business could help solve the persistent problem of a banana glut in Taiwan because of bumper harvests, Chiu added.
Pingtung magistrate Pan Men-an also said that given that Pingtung is the country's largest producer of bananas, if added value of bananas can be created through the business, it will be a major breakthrough for the development of the county's agriculture