Banana fruit which belongs to the family Musaceae is one of the most widely distributed and
consumed fruit in the world especially in tropical and subtropical countries. People only consume the
banana’s pulp and dump its peel as solid waste. This gives a very serious agricultural waste disposal
and eventually cause environmental problems that keep worsen each day. Thus, this study concern
on the phytochemical content and the antioxidant in peel extracts of unripe Cavendish and Dream
banana. The dried peels of banana fruit were grinded and extracted by using ethanol as the extraction
solvent. The percentage yield of the ethanol extract of unripe Cavendish and Dream banana fruit
peels were 17.765 % and 17.081 % respectively. The banana peel extracts were screened for the
presence of bioactive compounds which showed the presence of phenols, flavonoids and tannins.
Antioxidant activity of the banana peel extracts was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl
(DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. The concentration of the peel extracts required for 50 %
inhibition of DPPH radical scavenging activity ( ) were recorded at 90.28 μg/ml for Cavendish
and 113.09 μg/ml for Dream banana. The extracts of both banana peels definitely showed potential
as a sources of natural antioxidant.
The potential of natural organic compounds as a repellent in biodegradable organic pot is budding into one of the new agriculture innovation. The use of recyclable materials in the production of the pot can reduce the excessive waste disposal problem and thus prevent pollution problems. The objectives are to recycle old newspapers into biodegradable pot for seedling of plants and to repel plant insect pests using organic compounds (Pandanus sp., Petroselinum crispum and Alium sativum). The production of the biodegradable pot incorporates the use of waste materials such as old newspapers and coconut husk together with natural organic materials such as tapioca flour, Pandanus amaryllifolius (pandan leaf), Petroselinum crispum (parsley) and Alium sativum (garlic). This product is distinguishable among others as it is environmental-friendly since the pot can naturally break over time (biodegradable). The aroma from the Pandanus amaryllifolius, Petroselinum crispum and Alium sativum can repel flying and crawling insect that may attack the crops. The organic insect-repellent biodegradable pot has a potential in replacing plastic polybags since the crops planted in the pot can be directly replanted in the soil without the need of disposing the pot. Root is allowed to grow through the pot where later on, it will be degraded. Apart from that, this pot has high commercial values since it is easy to be handled, low in production cost, eco-friendly where only recyclable and natural organic materials were used, and the most crucial point is it can act as an insect repellent.