Vegan meat made from Dutch banana peels

Some 1,600 bananas were harvested at the Neder Banaan greenhouse in Ede, the Netherlands. In this greenhouse, researchers from Wagenin University are working on new methods of cultivation and processing. Nothing goes to waste!

The Neder Banaan greenhouse is the first and only banana greenhouse in the Netherlands. Here, bananas are not grown in soil, but in pots with a substrate of coconut fibers. This prevents attacks by pathogenic soil fungi, nematodes and bacteria.

For example, fungi such as Fusarium, which cause Fusarium wilt or Panama disease, pose a global threat to popular fruit production. Therefore experts at Wageningen University have been researching new banana varieties and cultivation methods for many years under the guidance of professor of phytopathology Geert Kem. Experts are always ready to share their knowledge.

“If we do not develop new varieties and methods of growing bananas, we will be left without bananas. For consumers in the West, this may be tolerable, but for more than 400 million people in the tropics, bananas are their main source of nutrition. For many farmers in the tropics, it is also an indispensable source of income. So, it's time to act,” says Kema.

The bulk of the new crop from the innovative banana greenhouse will soon turn into mini eclairs, small banana cakes and specialty beers. These products will be distributed to catering establishments, hotels and nursing homes.

However, not only pulp is used. The innovative companies that partner with Neder Banaan have their own options for processing the skins and stems. For example, the Banana Business will make Pulled Peel, a vegan MEAT substitute that is delicious in salads and sandwiches, from pickled and fried peels.

Musa Intimates will make underwear from fibers extracted from the stems of the banana plant, while Yellow Pallet will press the fibers into shipping pallets, an environmentally friendly substitute for wood.

“Of course, we are innovating on a small scale, but all over the world there is a huge amount of plants and banana peels that are currently being wasted. We hope our innovations will inspire banana growers around the world and contribute to a more sustainable sector,” said Peter Wink, Managing DIRECTOR of Neder Banaan.