Seedy Banana – A Source of Stilbenes and Flavan-3-ols

This study aimed at identifying the bioactive compounds in the seeds of three seedy banana varieties<i>Musa acuminata</i>, <i>Musa itinerans</i>, and <i>Ensete glaucum</i>. GC-MS of extracts and NMR of isolated compounds were used for the identification of the components and GC-MS/FID was employed for quantification. The proportion of seeds in all samples was around 50% of the dried fruit weight. The seeds were rich in piceatannol, (+)-epiafzelechin, and epiafzelechin dimers. Piceatannol and epiafzelechin dimers were reported in seedy bananas for the first time. The highest piceatannol content was found in <i>Ensete</i>, accounting for 713 ± 71.9 mg/100 g dry weight (DW), followed by the seeds of ripe <i>Musa acuminata</i> and <i>Musa itinerans</i> at 440 ± 56.7 and 242 ± 17.4 mg/100 g DW, respectively. <i>Musa</i> seeds with a higher content of piceatannol had lower concentrations of epiafzelechin and its dimers, in the ranges of 287 to 553 mg/100 g of DW and 533 to 976 mg/100 g of DW, respectively. The content depended on maturity. Compared with ripe fruits, green <i>Musas</i> contained hardly any piceatannol and higher levels of epiafzelechin dimers. Gallocatechin was detected only in <i>Ensete glaucum</i> at 145 ± 19.7 mg/100 g of DW, and a major part of the phenolic compounds in g was found in the seed coat. The identified phenolic compounds in the seeds suggest that seedy bananas could be a potential new crop for food supplements.