Pohnpei Workshop Focuses on Banana and Pandanus Products

By Dr. Lois Englberger

Some exciting value-added banana and pandanus food products were demonstrated at the Pohnpei Agriculture office in Kolonia, Pohnpei, from Friday 30 November to Tuesday 5 December 2007, in a project coordinated by the Island Food Community of Pohnpei, and supported by the Pohnpei Office of Economic Affairs and the College of Micronesia-FSM.

Dr. Conrad Perera, a food scientist originally from Sri Lanka, having wide experience as a consultant throughout the Pacific and other countries, and presently Professor of Food Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, led a 1-day workshop on banana food processing on 30 November 2007. He showed 30 participants (including local entrepreneurs) how to prepare dried "banana figs" (see below), banana nectars (juices), and dried banana flour for making pancakes, along with the importance of cleanliness and good food hygiene.
For banana nectars, he demonstrated the use of a blender for mixing banana, a non-acid fruit, with acidic fruits, such as pineapple, soursop, and calamansi (karertek) to make delightful new flavors. He also explained how the nectars can be preserved if mixed with basic preservation substances. The banana flour was prepared by drying slices of green Karat (the State Banana of Pohnpei), grinding, and then mixing with wheat flour in a basic pancake recipe.

Ms. Ione deBrum, who is from the Marshall Islands, led a two-day workshop at the same venue, showing 25 participants how to make dried pandanus paste. She presented an inspiring story of how she led the revival of this product in the Marshalls and how many families are now earning money by preparing and selling it. Also she showed how to dry ground giant swamp taro (mwahng) and rehydrate this in a tasty dish (boiling and adding coconut cream).

Great interest was shown by participants in all the products and it is hoped that some of these products will later be made available for sale in Pohnpei.

1. Select a variety with a thin fruit (like Daiwang) as it dries well. With good hygiene, peel bananas and place in a dryer (a solar dryer was built locally for the workshop, see the photo).
   
2. Dry the fruit for about a week or until fruits are about one-third of the original size. If a solar dryer is used for the first day and there are rainy periods, a dehydrator or oven at low temperature can be used to complete drying the fruits).
   
3. Serve the "banana figs" as snacks. These are good for school lunches and also holiday gifts.
   
4. Store in tight plastic bags or other containers with lids. This product, if dried properly, can be stored without refrigeration for several months.
   

Further information on making these products and on the solar dryers can be obtained from the Island Food Community of Pohnpei, Pohnpei Agriculture, and the COM-FSM Land Grant Program. The solar dryers were built by Capitol Fabricators and thanks are extended to them for their help.

Warm thanks are extended to Dr. Perera and Ms. deBrum for their help, to all participants for their enthusiasm, and to the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Forests and Trees Program and Forum Secretariat for funding support.