Why Storing Bananas Next To Other Fruits Makes Them Spoil Faster - Tasting Table

"While this may be good for making the best brown butter banana bread, it's not great if you're hoping to eat all those bananas while they're still fresh. Who knew that putting bananas in a bowl with other fruit could make them get ripe faster? Well, scientists for one, and now you do too. The reason behind this is due to the ethylene gas produced by the fruit and how it helps make all the other fruit in the bowl ripen faster."

"Some fruits, such as apples and bananas, give off more ethylene than others. This is why they say to put fruit in a bag with an apple if you want it to ripen faster. This method traps the ethylene in the bag with the fruit rather than dissipating into the air. Another hack that helps ripen fruit faster is covering it in dry rice, a trick sometimes used to ripen mangos."

"So if you want to slow those bananas down and make them last a little bit longer, get them out of the fruit bowl. Instead, store bananas alone in a cool, dry place. Cover the top of the bunch of bananas with foil to prolong their life even longer. This will help contain the ethylene gas, preventing it from ripening the rest of the banana.Some"

Bananas emit ethylene gas that speeds ripening of nearby fruit, and warm, sunny conditions accelerate that process. High-ethylene fruits like apples and bananas cause other produce to ripen faster when enclosed together, such as in a bag or when fruits are covered in dry rice. To slow ripening, store bananas separately in a cool, dry place and cover the bunch top with foil to contain ethylene. Refrigeration reduces ethylene production and can prolong freshness, though cooling ripe bananas will turn the peel brown while slowing internal ripening; avoid refrigerating underripe bananas.

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