Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region 02
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF ISABELA
Alibagu, City of Ilagan, Isabela
DON MARIANO MARCOS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
School ID: 300529
Ipil, Echague, Isabela, 3309

PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1

Researchers:

Bagiao, Earl Joshua C.

Bartolome, Lady Faith A.

Daguro, Romnard Veaber B.

Evangelista, Tom Jake H.

Gaffud, Zyrine Mae D.

Quindara, Lyca Jane E.

Realgo, Khennete O.

Veral, Adrian

Grade 11 – STEM Dieffenbachia

Mr. Herman B. Atip Jr.

TEACHER
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region 02
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF ISABELA
Alibagu, City of Ilagan, Isabela
DON MARIANO MARCOS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
School ID: 300529
Ipil, Echague, Isabela, 3309

Research Study: Effectiveness of Banana Peduncle as an Alternative Packaging Paper

Category: Life Science

I. Introduction

Nowadays, people use many plastic bags in their daily lives. The majority of the things

around us are made of plastic. They use it to transport food and other items. Its durability and

light weight allow it to be turned into other valuable products. However, plastic is hazardous

due to the chemicals it contains, and it may harm the environment. However, many countries

have banned plastic bags because they can break and pollute the environment. According to the

Philippines Plastic Pollution Study, the Philippines consumes 2.7 million pounds of plastic each

year, and it takes 1000 years to decompose.

Musa acuminata is the scientific name of a fruit-bearing plant called banana that belongs

to the Musaceae family. It originated in Southeast Asia and the Pacific and is one of the world's

most widely grown and consumed fruits (Augustyn, 2020). The banana peduncle, also known as

the banana stem, is the stalk that supports the cluster of bananas and inflorescence. It is an

edible plant popular in some Asian cuisines, particularly in South and Southeast Asia.

Furthermore, banana peduncles contain a lot of fiber, vitamins, and minerals like potassium,

calcium, and iron (Patricia, 2022).

The banana peduncle is primarily made up of juice and fiber. They can produce goods

with value. Peduncle juice may be added to ready-to-drink Calamansi juice with potassium and

sodium. To avoid dehydration, these are in a sports drink. Additionally, the potassium in

peduncle juice can fertilize tomatoes, kale, parsley, carrots, okra, and peachy. Paper and glued
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region 02
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF ISABELA
Alibagu, City of Ilagan, Isabela
DON MARIANO MARCOS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
School ID: 300529
Ipil, Echague, Isabela, 3309

peduncle boards can be made from peduncle fiber. Due to their durability and environmental

friendliness, paper bags have become famous for shopping and food goods. Paper bags also

provide a lot of environmental advantages for their users. They can be reused repeatedly,

recycled, and made into new paper.

The by-product of producing banana fruit, the banana peduncle, is usually thrown away.

However, research suggests that it has the potential to be a long-term and environmentally

responsible replacement for conventional packaging materials such as paper and plastic.

Maheswari and Senthilkumar researched in 2019 to evaluate the potential of banana peduncle

fiber as a packaging material.

II. Statement of the Problem

The study’s main objective is determining the effectiveness of banana (Musa acuminata)

peduncle as an alternative packaging paper.

Specifically, the study aims to answer the following questions:

1. What is the effectiveness of banana peduncle as an alternative packaging paper?

2. Is there a significant difference between the commercial packaging paper and

banana peduncle in terms of:

a. durability

b. flexibility

c. weight capacity
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region 02
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF ISABELA
Alibagu, City of Ilagan, Isabela
DON MARIANO MARCOS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
School ID: 300529
Ipil, Echague, Isabela, 3309

III. Review of Related Literature and Studies

A. Review of Related Literature

Two UNSW Sydney researchers have discovered a novel way to convert banana

plantation waste into packaging material that is both biodegradable and recyclable. They

extracted cellulose from pseudo stem material from banana plants grown at the Royal Botanic

Garden Sydney, which could be used in packaging, paper products, textiles, and medical

applications. The finished product has the consistency of baking paper. Professor Arcot and

Professor Stenzel created nano-cellulose, a non-toxic, biodegradable, and recyclable material.

When processed, the material is consistent with baking paper and can be used in various food

packaging formats. Food tests have shown that it poses no contamination risks, and it has also

been tested on mammalian cells, cancer cells, and T-cells. Other agricultural waste applications

investigated by the duo include the cotton and rice growing industries. Because bananas are an

annual plant, they are an appealing alternative to plastic bags and food packaging. (Gilbert,

2019)

In this study, the fracture toughness test was performed on short banana HPDE

composites. The primary goal of this study is to demonstrate the potential of natural fiber by

incorporating biodegradable banana Peduncle fibers into environmentally friendly polymer

composites. The short fibers of the banana plant’s peduncle were used to create composites.

Alkaline and untreated banana fiber were used to create the composite samples. The vacuum

molding method was used to create the laminates. Using different fiber weight percentages,

composites were generated at 160 cm under 50 kN of load at 0 to 20% of their total fiber weight

(wt. percent). This study examined various composite properties, including bulk density, water

absorption, tensile and flexural qualities, impact strength, and hardness test characteristics. At

the same time, the amount of fiber introduced increases, causing all mechanical properties to
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region 02
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF ISABELA
Alibagu, City of Ilagan, Isabela
DON MARIANO MARCOS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
School ID: 300529
Ipil, Echague, Isabela, 3309

change. The irregular shape of the change could be due to an overburdening of polymer matrix

fiber. An electron scanning microscope (ESM) is used to examine the matrix adherence and the

inner surface of the broken surfaces (Durai & Viswalingam, 2022).

B. Related Studies

Recent research studied the effectiveness of banana peduncles in different products. In

2020, Souza et al. evaluated banana peduncle flour as a potential functional ingredient for

gluten-free products. The results showed that banana peduncle flour could improve gluten-free

bread's nutritional value and sensory quality. In the same year, Kundu et al. studied the

development and characterization of banana peduncle-based activated carbon for supercapacitor

electrodes. The results showed that banana peduncle-based activated carbon could be an

alternative material for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes. The study of Alhassan et

al. (2020) also analyzed the phenolic composition, antioxidant activity, and a-amylase inhibitory

activity of banana peduncle extracts, suggesting their potential as a functional food ingredient

for managing diabetes.

Another study by Medithi et al. (2021) explored the potential of banana peduncle as a

low-cost biosorbent for removing heavy metals from water in banana peduncle as a potentially

low-cost biosorbent for the removal of heavy metals from water. The results showed that

banana peduncle could effectively remove heavy metals from water, making it a promising

alternative to conventional adsorbents. Azubuike et al. (2021) also investigated using banana

peduncle powder as a functional ingredient in beef patties. It evaluated its effects on meat

products' sensory and nutritional properties and investigated using banana peduncle powder as a

functional ingredient in beef patties. The study also evaluated its effects on meat products'

sensory and nutritional properties. Furthermore, Uluwaththage et al. (2021) explored the
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region 02
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF ISABELA
Alibagu, City of Ilagan, Isabela
DON MARIANO MARCOS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
School ID: 300529
Ipil, Echague, Isabela, 3309

nutritional composition and health benefits of the banana peduncle, including its potential as a

functional food ingredient in Banana (Musa spp.) Peduncle: An Underutilized Part with

Potential Health Benefits.

According to the study, banana peduncle fiber is a promising contender for packaging

applications due to its high tensile strength and flexibility. The material also demonstrated high

thermal and moisture resistance and critical packaging material properties. Furthermore,

according to the study by Osorio-Gómez in 2020, banana peduncles have good mechanical

qualities, and their usage as packaging material could lessen the reliance on conventional

materials like paper and plastic. The authors also underlined the environmental advantages of

employing banana peduncles as packing materials, such as lowering waste and carbon footprint

(Osorio-Gómez et al., 2020).

 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region 02
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF ISABELA
Alibagu, City of Ilagan, Isabela
DON MARIANO MARCOS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
School ID: 300529
Ipil, Echague, Isabela, 3309

References:

Alhassan et al. (2020). Phenolic Composition, Antioxidant Activity, and A-amylase

inhibitory Activity of Banana Peduncle Extracts

Augustyn, (2020), Banana, https://www.britannica.com/plant/banana-plant

Azubuike et al., (2021), Effects of Banana (Musa acuminata) Peduncle Powder on the

Quality Characteristics of Beef Patties

Durai and Viswalingam, (2022), Study on Mechanical Properties of Banana Peduncle

Fiber Reinforcement Antique Polymer Composite,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214785322037014

Gilbert, (2019), Packaging Made from Banana Plants an A-peeling Alternative,

https://phys.org/news/2019-11-packaging-banana-a-peeling-alternative.html

Maheswari, P. U., & Senthilkumar, S. (2019). Evaluation of Banana Peduncle Fiber as a

Packaging Material, 18, 2020-2026.

Medithi et al. (2021). Banana Peduncle as a Potential Low-cost biosorbent for the

removal of heavy metals from water: Batch and column studies

 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region 02
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF ISABELA
Alibagu, City of Ilagan, Isabela
DON MARIANO MARCOS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
School ID: 300529
Ipil, Echague, Isabela, 3309

Osorio-Gómez, J. M., Valencia-Cantero, E., & Maldonado-Hernández, R. (2020),

Sustainable Packaging Development Based on Banana Peduncle (Musa paradisiaca L.). Journal

of Cleaner Production, 243, 118416.

Patricia (2022), Banana tree or Banana herb, https://www.banabiosa.com/banana-tree-

or-banana-herb/

Souza et al. (2020). Banana peduncle flour as a potential functional ingredient for

gluten-free products.”

Tandoy, Estrella, Birones, Ramirez & Labao, (2020), Banana Peduncle as a Paper,

https://www.coursehero.com/file/66613855/437773408-Banana-Peduncles-as-a-Packaging-

Paper-Finaldoc/

Uluwaththage et al., (2021), Banana (Musa spp.) Peduncle: An Underutilized Part with

Potential Health Benefits