2.2. Moisture content determination
To determine the moisture content of the fresh and dried banana
samples, banana samples of 10e15 g were placed in preweighted
aluminum weighing dishes and dried according to
AOAC Official Methods of Analysis (1995) (70 C for 48 h
at 29 Hg vacuum) in a vacuum oven (Model No. V01218A,
Lindberg/Blue, Asheville, NC). The dishes were removed
and weighted after 48 h drying. The balance used for the measurement
had an accuracy of 0.01 g (Model No. 602, Denver
Instrument Co., Arvada, CO). Three samples from each trial
were used for the moisture determination and the average
moisture content is reported.