BANANA (Musa acuminata) LEAVES AS PAPER ART MATERIALS

-------

Researchers discovered a simple and innovative way this product might be useful in terms of nature preservation for it is eco-friendly. This method is so simple and can be use in many ways it helps us to make an alternative way of making a paper so we no longer need to cut down trees to provide papers for our work and studies. We can simply use the method of recycling and experimenting so that we can provide a product that is safe and useful.

This research will help us understand how nature works and how it contributes in our daily needs, it also gives us knowledge on what other things can nature provides us, in what way can we preserve them and how to use it properly. Paper can be standard such as how they use it. The customer knows what is good for their needs. The brand depends on the price. Paper must have stall image for the customer to have a good perception about the business.

Paper design is one of the attributes that influenced the buyer to buy it. In order to achieve this, it must possess the characteristics that will attract the buyers to buy this product, it may vary in the quality, price, appearance and compatibility for many artistic purposes. Emplacement or positioning of the paper is equally significant, as if many other customers and students have their own paper that is the reason why almost all of the people are buying lowed price and within their financial means.

In order to make this research possible, researchers must conduct a survey in the schools, then see if the students will favor this particular product. It is also important to know if this product would be effective and useful for the student. This would only last for just a couple of months until they got the results. More over this product is significant especially for the future needs of the students. This study will make them not only understand and evoke their creativity, but also change their perception towards the alternative things that nature can make specifically to banana leaves.

Once their perception has changed because of this study, many will benefit from it and as a result, we will also understand the importance of nature and how to manage the production of trees and other plants regularly, this will also help us to discover the alternative way to create things in an eco-friendlier way. This will also educate everyone to see the value of our nature and the beauty that it brings by this will help the growing economy to create a product that is not harmful in our environment and to produce other products in an alternative way.

Lastly, the importance of banana leaves in making paper art materials is to help us save money, because we do not need to spend more expensive products in the market to decorate our house, school projects and especially if we have an event. It is helpful to lessen the waste of banana trees when it‘s leaves dried out, instead of throwing and burning them, we can use them to create paper art materials. This method will make us more creative as an individual. This study will also educate or inspire everyone to try new things and to explore what else we can make with the things that we never imagine that have the capability to create some basic needs of most of us.

The future of the new generation starts with a single step. If we learn to try new things and work on something that might have been able to create tools such as this paper, maybe we can create more that can be useful even in our household or create modern products to make our lives easier, safe, and healthy.

According to Gail Cohen, natural banana leaves make perfect raw materials for crafting because they can be dried, woven and used for myriad art projects while making terrific ecological statements about putting every bit of post-harvest banana tree material to good use. According to the study, Banana fiber is a natural fiber with high strength, which can blend easily with cotton fiber or synthetic fiber to produce composite material. In the fiber extraction process, a substantial amount of lignocelluloses wastes has been generated, disposal of which creates problems in the adjacent area. In this paper, extracted banana fiber (EBF) and waste banana fiber (WBF) are characterized in terms of chemical and morphological properties to produce handmade paper.

WBF was characterized with lower α–cellulose, lignin content and longer fiber length. Pulping of EBF and WBF has been carried out with varying active alkali and cooking time at boiling temperature. Pulp yield of WBF was 35.9% after 120 min of cooking with 8% alkali charge. In the unbeaten state the degrees of drainage resistance i.e. SR values were 65 and 71 for EBF and WBF, respectively. The tensile, burst and tear indices of WBF were 23.7 N.m/g, 2.2 kPa.m²/g and 5.0 mN.m²/g, respectively; these were much lower as compared to EBF. These values however, meet the requirement for handmade paper.

To understand how this particular product works, we need to dive in more precise and accurate study about the banana tree it-self. The study regarding to this topic will also help us understand the uses and to gain more knowledge about banana tree.

One of the largest misconceptions about bananas is what happens to the plant after the fruit is harvested. Unlike apple, pear and other varieties of hardwood fruit-bearing trees, banana plants only fruit once in their lifetime and then they naturally die and decay away.

Without going into a full anatomy lesson, bananas are much different than anything we are accustomed to. The stem of the plant is what looks like the trunk of the ‘tree’, but it is actually tight packed leaves that overlap as it grows. The most fascinating aspect though has to be the creeping underground stem and root system. It allows five or more generations for fruit-bearing banana stems to grow simultaneously at once.

The plant is categorized as a “tree-like perennial herb” because the parent stem dies naturally after it bears the fruit and a new “sucker” takes over as the parent plant. This is sometimes hard to visualize, but this image shows the smaller offshoots already emerging from the soil waiting for their turn to bathe in the sun.

Producing banana fiber and paper from waste by Goutham Veerabathini natural fibers can be defined as substances that are obtained from plants such as agave, banana, jute, cotton, etc., which can be spun into filaments, threads or ropes and can be woven. According to Goutham Veerabathini, once the fruits are collected, the plant stem is cut-off and thrown away. Such wasted stems usually lay in the field, and on average clearing out of the land would cost a farmer nearly Rs. 3000. Now a new technology plant has managed to produce environmentally friendly banana paper out of these banana stems.

Banana Pseudo – Stem Fiber: Preparation, characteristic and applications by Asmanto Subagyo and Achmad Chafidzbanana is one of the most well-known and useful plant in the world almost all the parts of this plant, that are, fruits, leaves, flower bud, trunk, and pseudo-stem, can be utilized. According to Asmanto Subagyo and Achmad Chafidz, banana fiber resetting is defined as the separation of the fiber bundles from the cortex or wood that affects the partial digestion of the cementing material (such as lignin and hemicellulose) betweenthe bundles ' fibres.This loosening of the fiber bundles is also due to the removal of various cement tissue components.

ReadersDigestVersion (2017), banana leaves tenderize meat during the cooking process. The practice, common in Asian countries, is to wrap the food in the banana leaf and tie it with string before grilling, baking or steaming the dish. In some countries, people use banana leaves for lining cooking pits and for wrapping food, according to Purdue University. The banana foliage also becomes makeshift plates. The study aims to banana leaf anatomy as well as the length, width, and thickness of the leaf and the number, diameter, and tensile ‬‬‬strength of leaf fibers. Samples were collected in Dampit, Wajak and Batu, Malang. Indonesia. The criteria for banana leaf ‬samples were that they were fresh, mature, and not torn. Brawijaya University (2013).

Banana leaves can be used to clean iron plates. This study evaluated the cleansing action of banana leaves by subjecting iron surfaces to a sliding regime on prepared leaves. University Kebangsaan Malaysia (2016).

Philippine culture, some meals are served buffet-style, or salo-salo, on full-size banana leaves. Sometimes growing up to nine feet in length, these fronds have no problem covering an entire table of food. Traditionally, these family-focused feasts are to be eaten with your bare hands, truly involving all the senses. Kamayan is a very specific technique. Chaser (2019) Banana leaves can be used in Hilot, or massage, uses banana leaves to detect congestion in the body. spreading oil evenly over the body, pressing a banana leaf over the skin to target inflammation, then massaging out the affected area. When done properly, goodbye stuffy nose and painful aches! Your cold symptoms should be immediately relieved you're welcome, flu season sufferers. Chaser (2019) According to study in Philippine culture, banana leaves can be used to wrap a food which is exactly what Filipino chefs do with these leaves for certain dishes. Foods can be placed in the center of a piece of banana leaf, then folded up and wrapped securely. Not only does this hold the ingredients together, but the banana leaf provides an extra flavor that is infused into the dish when steamed and eaten straight away. Chaser (2019)

According to the Indian journal of biotechnology, banana leaves can be used for the production of Amylase through the use of Aspergillusniger. Indian Journal of Biotechnology (2012)

Banana leaf is also excellent for steaming, as it allows the steam to penetrate the food inside or on top of it. You can use banana leaf to line a steamer, or to wrap your food and then steam it. Dalal (2018)

Banana leaves contain a substance known as allantoin. It is capable of accelerating the healing process acting as an astringent. Small ailments that are caused by poor immune are treatable by the help of banana leaves. Since we do not eat banana leaves directly, we can make and drink banana tea or decoction. Gikunda (2019)

Banana leaves can be used for crafting sustainable fabric to make organic clothes like barongs because banana leaves have a fiber. These pieces of formal wear have always been associated with elite members of society. Today, this fabric is still being used in high fashion collections, but with a modern twist. Filipina designer Dita Sandico-Ong uses this material in all of her major designs, and they are gorgeous. Sandico-Ong (2013) Banana leaves contain a large amount of Polyphenols such as Epigallocatechin Gallate or EGCG which has very strong antioxidant properties and that is also found in Green Tea. ” EGCG is supposed to be the active compound that is responsible for antioxidant properties of green tea and possibly fat burning properties. Adman (2017)

Banana leaves also have medicinal properties that can relieve poisonous insect bites, bee stings, spider bites, rashes, skin irritation. The leaves are popularly known as a natural eraser. Banana leaves also have Allantoin that can be used for cosmetic creams and lotions. Allantoin helps faster healing, kills germs and stimulates new skin cell growth. Adman (2017).