Raw Banana (Green/Unripe)

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Raw (unripe/green) banana is the unripened fruit of Musa acuminata or Musa paradisiaca, consumed as a whole food or processed into flour, starch, or biomass for use in food products. It is valued primarily for its exceptionally high resistant starch (RS2) content, dietary fibre, and bioactive compounds such as phenolics and flavonoids, and is used as a whole vegetable in cooking as well as a functional food ingredient.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Raw banana is a well-tolerated whole food with no known toxicity for the general adult population; it is not assigned an ADI as it is an unprocessed agricultural commodity. Its high resistant starch content may cause mild gastrointestinal discomfort (bloating, flatulence) when consumed in large quantities, particularly in individuals unaccustomed to high-fibre diets. No IARC classification or significant regulatory safety concern exists; the principal considerations are its high potassium load for those with impaired renal function, and its ability to modulate glycaemic response, which is generally beneficial.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Banana is a conventional food/fresh produce in the EU. It is not subject to food additive approval requirements. No specific EFSA opinion restricts its consumption for the general population. Banana-derived novel food ingredients (e.g., green banana flour at novel dosage levels) may require notification under EU Novel Food Regulation (EU) 2015/2283.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Banana is regulated as a fresh horticultural produce under FSSAI's Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations. India is the world's largest producer of bananas; FSSAI's FSMS Guidance Document for Fruits and Vegetables covers safety management of banana as a primary commodity. No specific ADI is established for the whole fruit.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Raw banana (Musa spp.) is a whole fresh fruit/produce commodity regulated as a raw agricultural commodity (RAC) under 21 CFR Part 112 (FSMA Produce Safety Rule). No additive-specific ADI is established. Banana-derived ingredients used in processed foods are subject to relevant GRAS provisions.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Kidney Disease — Raw bananas are high in potassium; individuals with chronic kidney disease or impaired renal function may need to limit intake to prevent hyperkalaemia, as advised by nephrology dietary guidelines.

Ibs — The high resistant starch and fermentable fibre content of raw banana may exacerbate bloating, gas, and abdominal discomfort in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome, particularly those sensitive to high-FODMAP foods.

Ibd — While raw banana resistant starch shows anti-inflammatory potential in IBD models, raw/uncooked banana is high in insoluble fibre which may aggravate active flares of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis; medical guidance is recommended during flares.

Diabetes — Although green/raw banana has a lower glycaemic index than ripe banana due to its resistant starch content and has been studied to improve insulin sensitivity, ripe banana's higher sugar content means diabetic patients should prefer unripe forms and monitor portion sizes as advised by a clinician.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1PubMed. Digestion of raw banana starch in the small intestine of healthy humans: structural features of resistant starch. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2PubMed. Green banana resistant starch: A promising potential as functional ingredient against certain maladies, 2024. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3PubMed. The Valorization of Banana By-Products: Nutritional Composition, Bioactivities, Applications, and Future Development, 2022. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4PubMed. Health Benefits of Green Banana Consumption: A Systematic Review, 2019. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5PubMed. Production, application and health effects of banana pulp and peel flour in the food industry, 2019. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Independently researched5 citations