PROJECT BANANA was born from a clear objective: to create a homemade liquid food capable of completely replacing traditional flavours, pushing the self-made bait concept beyond its current limits.
The real satisfaction is not just mixing a base mix, but designing the attractive system of the bait itself—from raw ingredients to chemical signalling.
My goal has always been to create critical and independent minds, capable of understanding the mechanisms behind attraction rather than blindly copying recipes. This project is meant to provide solid foundations, technical clarity, and practical direction—while remaining open to experimentation and personal development, with my direct support whenever concepts become unclear or ideas stall.
PROJECT BANANA is a hybrid liquid attractor, combining controlled fermentation with targeted ester chemistry. A natural–chemical system that does not exist on the market and has never been fully explored in the carp fishing blogging world.
Banana fermentation as a simple liquid food has already been discussed on this blog and in my book Boilie Instructions for Use. Here, however, the process is taken much further. Fermentation is pushed intentionally, functional ingredients are introduced, and specific esters are used to elevate the final liquid beyond what fermentation alone can achieve.
This is not about making a bait that smells like banana.
It is about building attraction at a chemical level, using compounds that fish can detect, interpret, and respond
to underwater.
What follows is not a flavour recipe.
It is a method, a reasoned approach, and a step into a
territory that—until now—no carp fishing blog has seriously explored.
Designing a homemade liquid food that can also replace traditional flavours means pushing the self-made bait
concept toward a new frontier.
The real satisfaction lies in creating not only the base mix, but the entire attractive system of the bait, from
nutrition to chemical signalling.
My objective is to develop critical and independent thinking anglers, capable of understanding mechanisms and principles rather than blindly following recipes. This project is meant to provide solid foundations and clear technical concepts, allowing everyone to experiment further with confidence — with my direct support whenever ideas or processes become unclear.
PROJECT BANANA is a hybrid liquid food / attractor, a natural-chemical system that does not exist on the market and has never been explored to this depth within the carp fishing blogging world. It allows you to create something unique, personal and non-replicable.
Beyond simple banana fermentation
Banana fermentation as a base for a simple but effective liquid food has already been covered on this blog and in my book Boilie Istruzioni per l'uso.
In this project, however, the fermentative process is intentionally pushed much further, introducing functional
ingredients and targeted chemistry to elevate the final liquid well beyond what fermentation alone can achieve.
The goal is not to produce a liquid that merely smells attractive, but to create a chemically active attractor, capable of working underwater through soluble compounds, organic acids and esters that fish can detect and interpret.
Ingredients
-
One banana brought to extreme ripeness (brown peel)
-
Sugar
-
Organic unpasteurised vinegar (apple or malt)
-
Lactic acid or ascorbic acid
-
Isoamyl acetate
-
Butyric acid
-
Amyl acetate
-
Ethyl maltol (powder)
Fermentation and enhancement process
The process begins by allowing a standard banana to ripen in a warm environment, preferably exposed to sunlight, until full maturation is reached. The peel should display widespread brown spotting, accompanied by the characteristic sweet-acidic smell of overripe banana.
At this stage, blend the banana together with:
-
50 g sugar
-
10 g ethyl maltol powder
-
100 ml organic vinegar
-
100 ml lactic or ascorbic acid
Blend thoroughly and allow the mixture to ferment for 7 days in a warm place, releasing excess gas daily if a fermentation valve is not used. A yoghurt maker can be effectively employed, using its individual jars to produce approximately one kilogram of product per batch.
After one week, add:
-
10 ml butyric acid
-
5 ml isoamyl acetate
-
5 ml amyl acetate
Mix thoroughly until fully homogeneous.
Important note:
These ingredients can be increased up to a maximum of:
-
20 ml butyric acid
-
15 ml isoamyl acetate
-
15 ml amyl acetate
Stability and storage
The final product is stable and continues to mature slowly over time. It can be stored for many months without special precautions in dark glass containers — recycled olive oil bottles work perfectly for this purpose.
PVA compatibility: propylene glycol vs glycerin
To obtain a PVA-friendly version of PROJECT BANANA, the final liquid can be modified by incorporating either propylene glycol or glycerin, depending on the desired functional outcome.
Propylene glycol (recommended option)
Adding propylene glycol at 50% of the total final volume produces a highly reliable PVA-safe
liquid.
Propylene glycol has a strong water-binding capacity, significantly reducing free water activity while preserving
excellent solubility, even at low water temperatures.
From a functional standpoint, propylene glycol:
-
enhances chemical stability of ester compounds
-
improves homogeneity of the liquid attractor
-
promotes a clean and controlled release once the PVA has dissolved
-
performs consistently in cold water conditions
For these reasons, propylene glycol represents the most technically balanced choice when the primary objective is performance and repeatability.
Glycerin (alternative option)
Glycerin can also be used to achieve PVA compatibility, although with different characteristics.
When added at approximately 40–50% of the total volume, glycerin effectively reduces water activity and allows
safe use with PVA materials.
Compared to propylene glycol, glycerin:
-
produces a more viscous liquid
-
offers a slower release profile
-
shows slightly reduced solubility in very cold water
-
has a stronger sweetening and palatability effect
Glycerin may therefore be preferred when working in warmer conditions or when a longer-lasting, more nutritional signal is desired, rather than rapid chemical dispersion.
Application notes
Both carriers should be added after the fermentation and ester enrichment phase, once the liquid has reached its
final chemical balance.
The choice between propylene glycol and glycerin should be based on water temperature, bait strategy, and release
dynamics, rather than convenience alone.
Dosage and application
Recommended dosage ranges from 50 to 150 ml per kilogram of dry mix.
Ideal applications include:
-
Birdfood-based boilies
-
50/50 mixes
-
Nut-based mixes
An interesting application is also possible in fishmeal mixes, particularly those built around salmon meal and fish protein hydrolysates.
Advanced bait concepts
An excellent base for further development is the Total Maize Boilie, replacing the liquid phase of the recipe with this banana liquid food at 100 ml per kg, combined with:
-
100 ml dextrinised corn syrup (for egg-free, fully soluble baits)
-
or CSL and eggs as required
For a banana-based HNV version, the HNV Gustose mix available on the blog can be used, replacing the dedicated liquid food with PROJECT BANANA at the full dosage of 150 ml per kg, plus eggs as needed.
Final considerations
In the end, PROJECT BANANA is not just a recipe.
It represents a different way of approaching boilies: not adding flavour, but engineering attraction.
When fermentation and esters work together, the result is not something that simply “smells like banana”, but something that communicates through the chemical language of fish.
From this point on, the work is yours: experiment, adapt, and observe what happens underwater. Because the most effective solutions are never copied — they are understood.
The lab is now open.
PROJECT BANANA is only the beginning. 🍌🧪🎣
Discover the science behind carp bait design. Get the book here.