Bananas to Poland are imported mainly from South American countries. They are picked from trees when they are immature, their skin is green and the fruit itself is quite hard. They are then cooled so that they can survive the long transport. It will take a long time before they reach our homes. We have the impression that bananas become overripe the next day, but it is worth emphasizing that the process of their maturation lasts quite a long time.
Bananas are one of the fruits that ripening is controlled by ethylene – a phytohormone produced in stem nodes, ripening fruits and aging tissues. This hormone is responsible for stimulating leaf fall, ripening and aging of plants. The riper the fruit, the more ethylene it produces.
Ethylene is also produced by bananas in response to stressful conditions, e.g. overheating. For this reason, it can be produced in greater quantities in heat. Bananas left in bunches in a warm place in the kitchen have ideal conditions to ripen. When buying yellow bananas, we must take into account that they will reach full ripeness in a very short time and will be covered with brown spots.
However, this process will have a positive effect on their taste. They will become sweet, soft and perfect for desserts. They will contain more carbohydrates.
Unfortunately, rapid ripening of bananas can lead to food waste. If we buy too many of them, we cannot eat them as quickly. Monika Zysk has a suggestion for using ripe bananas. On the Teraz cooking website he writes about .
However, many people wonder how to store bananas to extend their freshness. Amy Cross, a TikTok user, decided to conduct an experiment. In glass jars she placed:
- peeled banana slices,
- peeled banana divided into two parts,
- halved banana with peel,
- banana in peel, cut into three parts.
She placed the jars in the refrigerator. She used both regular and organic bananas for the experiment. In this way, she wanted to check whether the fruit would retain its color and freshness after 12 hours. However, she extended the experiment to 26 days. After this time, she tried a banana, which turned out to still taste good. The best way to store fruit is in the peel, divided into two parts.
However, Amy was justifiably concerned about eating bananas that had been stored for such a long time. Although its appearance did not show any signs of deterioration, putrefaction may have already started start inside the flesh.
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It is worth remembering that fruit should be stored in the refrigerator for several days. The Sanitary and Epidemiological Station does not provide an exact number because it all depends on the species and the time the fruit is stored in the store. Before eating, it is worth examining the fruit carefully and checking whether it is covered with mold.
Bananas should be stored at room temperature in a dry place. Then they have ideal conditions for natural ripening.
If you want to extend their freshness, put them away from other fruits that produce ethylene, e.g. apples or tomatoes. It’s also a good idea to separate the bananas from each other so they don’t cause clogging mutual maturation.
You can also store bananas in the refrigerator. The Sanitary and Epidemiological Station recommends keeping fruit and vegetables in the lower drawers of the refrigerator at a temperature of approximately 6-8 degrees Celsius.where there is high air humidity. He does not recommend washing the fruit, which would only accelerate its spoilage.
To avoid premature ripening of the fruit, you can also reduce the oxygen content around the fruit to 3-5% and increase the carbon dioxide content. However, this is difficult to achieve at home. Closing bananas in tight packages or wrapping them in foil only creates anaerobic conditions, where, according to the Sanitary Inspectorate, food spoilage occurs.
Source: Terazgotuje.pl, TikTok/Amy Cross
