Often you will find Bananas ripening while other fruits stored with them ripening more than they would be expected for example in mixed fruit salads, store house etc. Bananas make other fruit ripen because they release a gas called ethene (formerly ethylene).
This gas causes ripening, or softening of fruit by the breakdown of cell walls, conversion of starches to sugars and the disappearance of acids.
Some fruits, like oranges, don’t respond to ethene, but there are many processes in plants that respond to ethene as a signal.
Research carried out found that by spraying bananas as soon as they are peeled with a mixture of citric acid and amino acid, it manages to keep them firm and yellow, but without affecting the taste.
It is a similar principle to using lemon juice to keep fruit fresh, as the enzyme doesn’t respond well to acidic conditions.
Different varieties of banana were tested to find the one which aged the slowest, discovering Cavendish bananas were the best of the bunch.
Now, you can find chopped banana in their fruit pots – all thanks to science.
