A mum asked this question earlier and i have decided to be responding and sharing this and other questions of this type as ‘General Questions’ on the resources page. If you have any question, please feel free to send me a message here and i will make it as a post if i feel it may be of benefit to other mums.
Firstly, banana puree or mashed banana turning brown does not mean it has gone bad. The browning occurs as a result of oxidation (a scientific process that arises as a result of exposing fruits to oxygen or air) which acts faster to discolour purees or fruits that are cut open, for example, apples turn brown too when cut open but that does not make it bad.
So, as much as it may not look good or appealing to the eyes, it is okay and not harmful for your baby to eat it. It does not affect the nutritional benefit. You can however prevent this discolouration if you want to, by doing one or more of the following:
Add citrus
By adding a few drops citrus juice like lemon, lime or orange juice to the puree to prevent the oxidation. Normally, citrus juices are not recommended to be given to babies but a few drops in their food should pose no harm. If in doubt or have concerns, then consult a doctor before adding to your baby’s food.
Make small quantities
Banana is quite easily to prepare by simply mashing up, so take a quantity that your baby can finish at a time and rather than making big batches. That way, your baby eats it up before they turn too brown. If you mash up too much, join baby to enjoy by making pancakes or cookies.
Mix with other foods
Cooked or hot food makes the enzyme responsible for browning some fruits less active, so mash the banana and add to your oats, baby rice pap or other cooked meal immediately before bringing them down. You can also add to baby yogurt or other fruit purees as soon as you want to serve it.
Freeze immediately
Banana is one of the fruits that don’t freeze well in my opinion unless you want to make banana ice cream, so this is my least option. Remove from freezer and leave it to thaw/defrost completely before serving.
I hope this answers the question good enough for mums 🙂
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