HPLC analysis of unripe plantain banana pulp demonstrated the presence of the flavonoid, leucocyanidin, as indicated by the detection of a major product with a retention time of 4 min identical with the cyanidin chloride standard. Ripe dessert banana was shown to contain somewhat less leucocyanidin than the unripe plantain banana (Fig. 3). In all HPLC experiments we utilised a sample mixture spiked with cyanidin chloride as a standard and in all cases this revealed a single major product at 4 min, further suggesting that leucocyanidin is the primary component of the sample. A second peak was generally observed in all HPLC analyses corresponding to the extractant isoamyl alcohol.