Culinary spices and herbs have been used to impart a characteristic flavour and aroma in food due to their appealing fragrance. Recently, bioactive compounds from herbs, especially phenolics, have gained much attention due to their potential health outcomes. The aim of this study was to characterize and quantify the phenolic compounds from 10 widely used Australian-grown herbs (oregano, rosemary, bay, basil, sage, fenugreek, dill, parsley, mint and thyme). For this purpose, liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used for the complete profiling of polyphenolic compounds and quantification of abundant phenolic compounds was completed with high-performance liquid chromatography—photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA). Polyphenols from Australian-grown herbs were estimated through total phenolic content (TP), total flavonoids (TF) and total tannins (TT) along with their in-vitro antioxidant activities. Oregano and mint were estimated with the highest value of TP (140.59 ± 9.52 and 103.28 ± 8.08 mg GAE/g, milligram gallic acid equivalent/gram) while rosemary and mint had the highest TF (8.19 ± 0.74 and 7.05 ± 0.43 mg QE (quercetin equivalent)/g). In this study, eighty-four (84) phenolic compounds were screened and confirmed through LC-MS/MS by comparing their masses and fragmentation pattern with published libraries. The results of this study validate the use of these herbs as bioactives and their positive impact on human health.

Bananas are an essential source of staple food and fruit worldwide and are widely regarded as the world’s largest fruit crop, with more than 100 million tons total annual production. Banana peel, a by-product that represents about 40% of the entire banana’s weight, and pulp are rich in bioactive compounds and have a high antioxidant capacity. As the production of polyphenols in fruit and vegetables is highly dependent on environmental conditions, genetic factors, and the level of maturity, this study aims to characterize six Australian banana cultivars in various stages of ripening for their phenolic compounds using the liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS), polyphenols quantification with the high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA), and their antioxidant capacity. All bananas were analysed for total polyphenols content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), and total tannin content (TTC) and their antioxidant activities. Ripe Ducasse peel and pulp contained the highest amounts of total polyphenols content (1.32 and 1.28 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per gram of sample), total tannin contents (3.34 mg catechin equivalent (CE) per gram of sample), and free radical scavenging capacity (106.67 mg ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE) per g of sample). In contrast, ripe Plantain peel had the greatest total flavonoids (0.03 mg quercetin equivalent (QE) per g of sample). On the other hand, unripe Ladyfinger pulp possessed the highest total antioxidant activity (1.03 mg AAE/g of sample). There was a positive correlation between flavonoids and antioxidant activities. By using LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS, a total of 24 phenolic compounds were tentatively characterized in this research, including six phenolic acids, 13 flavonoids, and five other polyphenols. Quantification of phenolic compounds by the high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA) revealed a higher content of phenolic acids. These findings confirmed that banana peel and pulp have considerable antioxidant activity and can be employed in human food and animal feed for variant health enhancement uses.

Green bananas contain a substantial amount of resistant starch (RS), dietary fiber (DF), and phytochemicals, which exhibit potent antioxidant capabilities, primarily attributable to the abundance of polyphenols. The objective of this study was to assess the variations in the contents and bioaccessibility of RS, DF, and phenolic compounds in three types of Australian green bananas (Cavendish “Musa acuminata”, Ladyfinger “Musa paradisiaca L.”, and Ducasse “Musa balbisiana”), along with their antioxidant capacities, and the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) following in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation. The studied cultivars exhibited significant levels of RS, with Ladyfinger showing the greatest (49%). However, Ducasse bananas had the greatest DF concentration (38.73%). Greater TPC levels for Ladyfinger (2.32 mg GAE/g), as well as TFC and TTC (0.06 mg QE/g and 3.2 mg CE/g, respectively) in Cavendish, together with strong antioxidant capacities (DPPH, 0.89 mg TE/g in Cavendish), have been detected after both intestinal phase and colonic fermentation at 12 and 24 h. The bioaccessibility of most phenolic compounds from bananas was high after gastric and small intestinal digestion. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of kaempferol (31% in Cavendish) remained detectable in the residue after colonic fermentation. The greatest production of SCFAs in all banana cultivars was observed after 24 h of fermentation, except valeric acid, which exhibited the greatest output after 12 h of fermentation. In conclusion, the consumption of whole green bananas may have an advantageous effect on bowel health and offer antioxidant characteristics.

Functional foods are currently receiving increasing popularity in diet modification. Green bananas contain far more dietary fiber (DF) and resistant starch (RS) than mature bananas. The potential for integrating these vital components into food, such as bread, has expanded. Thus, this study aimed to examine the physicochemical and rheological behavior of wheat flour dough after the addition of varying amounts of Australian, green banana flour (GBF) substitutions (5, 10, 15, 25, and 30%). Using MixoLab 2, we recorded the rheological parameters of the dough that had GBF substitutions. Additionally, the flour color (‘L*’, ‘a*’, and ‘b*’ value) and crumb cell structure analysis were evaluated. Although increasing the amount of GBF replacement generally improved dough quality with all banana cultivars, GBF from Cavendish and Ladyfinger showed a greater improvement than Ducasse. Improved dough mixing stability and increased viscosity, starch gelatinization, and retrogradation were all predicted to contribute to longer bread shelf life. RS content of the enriched bread increased significantly with both Ladyfinger and Ducasse (2.6%), while Ladyfinger bread had the highest DF (9.1%). With increasing GBF, L*, a*, and b* values were changed considerably with a strong linear correlation. A MATLAB analysis indicated substantial variations across samples regarding the small, medium, and total air space counts based on 10% banana flour as a standard level of addition. In conclusion, the processing properties and nutritional value of wheat flour can be enhanced by replacing specific proportions of wheat flour with green banana flour without major detrimental effects on dough processing attributes and thus highlight the possibility of utilizing GBF from different banana varieties for use in fine-tuning composite flour developments.

Functional foods are gaining heightened popularity in diet modifications. Green bananas contain a significant quantity of resistant starch, dietary fibre, and phytochemicals that demonstrate strong antioxidant properties, particularly due to the high concentration of polyphenols. The community demand for incorporating these essential components into food products, such as bread, has increased. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in the content and bio-accessibility of phenolic compounds in bread enriched with 5, 10, and 15% of Australian green banana powder (GBF) from (Cavendish “Musa acuminata”, Ladyfinger “Musa paradisiaca L.”, and Ducasse “Musa balbisiana”), as well as their antioxidant capabilities and the generation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation. The 15% Cavendish bread exhibited significant TPC and TFC at 1.31 mg GAE/g and 0.05 mg QE/g, respectively, along with substantial antioxidant activity (DPPH, 0.40 mg TE/g), observed following stomach and intestinal phases. However, the 15% Ladyfinger bread exhibited the highest TTC following the stomach digestion, with 17.4 mg CE/g. The bio-accessibility of most phenolic components from 10% GBF-bread was elevated following the gastric and intestinal phases. Nonetheless, a substantial total phenolic content (50.3% in Ladyfinger bread) was still observable in the residue during colonic fermentation. The highest SCFAs production occurred in Cavendish and Ducasse bread after 24 h of fermentation. Overall, the consumption of GBF bread can positively influence intestinal health and provide antioxidant properties, facilitating future advancements in the creation of nutrient-dense and health-enhancing bakery products.