Bananas fail?

[daveshel]

Well, OK, it happened once before.

I bought some bananas that never ripened.

I don't like overripe bananas, so I tent to buy them on the green side and enjoy them as they begin to turn yellow.

But twice now I have bought what looked like a lovely bunch, only to see them turn from green to brown without any yellow stage.

I tried to peel one open and it was starchy and inedible.

The first time it was organic bananas.

Anybody else seeing this sort of bananic failure?

 

[mryellow2]

Grab plantains by accident?

 

[moonbit]

Please forgive me for asking such a question, but are you sure they were bananas? What you are describing sounds like plantains.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Bananas ripen as a function of temperature not time. If the bananas went from green to brown they were either too cold, too hot or, plantains!

 

[jagec]

Bananas that are bought green end up being starchy and not very flavorful once the finally ripen. Tree ripened FTW!

 

[daveshel]

Aren't plantains not only different looking, but also more expensive?

I've been a successful banana buyer for thirty-some-odd years, and have never made that mistake, plus I'm a thrifty shopper, so I'd be aware of the price difference.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: daveshel
I've been a successful banana buyer for thirty-some-odd years...

did not expect to hear that today.

Text
Responses to Ethylene

Most commercial cultivars of bananas require exposure to 100-150 ppm ethylene 24-48 hours at 15-20°C (59-68°F) and 90-95% relative humidity to induce uniform ripening. Carbon dioxide concentration should be kept below 1% to avoid its effect on delaying ethylene action. Use of a forced-air system in ripening rooms assures more uniform cooling or warming of bananas as needed and more uniform ethylene concentration throughout the ripening

 

[djheater]

Are you refrigerating? Bananas should not be refrigerated.

 

[daveshel]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler


Most commercial cultivars of bananas require exposure to 100-150 ppm ethylene 24-48 hours at 15-20°C (59-68°F) and 90-95% relative humidity to induce uniform ripening. Carbon dioxide concentration should be kept below 1% to avoid its effect on delaying ethylene action. Use of a forced-air system in ripening rooms assures more uniform cooling or warming of bananas as needed and more uniform ethylene concentration throughout the ripening

OK, let me just twist a few dials...

 

[lefenzy]

so bananas are alive when you eat them.

 

[daveshel]

Originally posted by: djheater
Are you refrigerating? Bananas should not be refrigerated.

Let me state unequivocally that I have never refrigerated a banana, although I have an uncle in Phoenix who swears there is nothing wrong with this.

I'll throw one on the frig and call it a control group.

 

[Squisher]

It happened to me too over the summer. I bought a bunch of green ones that sat around a week and I picked one up and snapped it in half like a piece of tree bark.

 

[biggestmuff]

I've noticed this phenomenon lately. I pick up a few bananas every time I pick up groceries. I believe it's because the bananas have been genetically modified. They stay green longer so that they can sit on the shelves longer.

 

[Savarak]

its good to throw them in the fridge, just dont mind it turning brown outside, it'd still be rare inside for a long time before its ripe

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: lefenzy
so bananas are alive when you eat them.

do they feel pain?

keep the bananas out of the fridge. bananas give off ethylene as they ripen, so putting them in a bag will produce a delicious chain reaction. don't forget to check on them every day, and remove them before they over-ripen.

 

[Tylanner]

bananas make my tongue and mouth itch wildly

 

[daveshel]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
keep the bananas out of the fridge. bananas give off ethylene as they ripen, so putting them in a bag will produce a delicious chain reaction. don't forget to check on them every day, and remove them before they over-ripen.

OK, bag it is. I'll be back.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
I've noticed this phenomenon lately. I pick up a few bananas every time I pick up groceries. I believe it's because the bananas have been genetically modified. They stay green longer so that they can sit on the shelves longer.

I doubt this. GMOs are just too expensive for South American farmers to buy.

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler

Originally posted by: lefenzy
so bananas are alive when you eat them.

do they feel pain?

keep the bananas out of the fridge. bananas give off ethylene as they ripen, so putting them in a bag will produce a delicious chain reaction. don't forget to check on them every day, and remove them before they over-ripen.

Putting them in a bag with an apple is even better.

Apples give off a CRAPLOAD of ethylene, enough that fruit transporters know to watch out for them, and not mix them with any other fruits.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

maybe true if the GMO's were designed for production-friendly traits. since longer shelf life is demanded by the market, i'm sure there is motivation on somebody's part to meet that demand. nearly everything in a US food market is GMO, and has been for a while. go to any plant shop and look for the dwindling shelf of expensive "legacy" seeds.

 

[Tiamat]

Yeah, it happens, im not sure why. Thats why I buy the bananas when they are green on the top portion, but yellow for the rest of the banana. wait one day, and they are perfect to eat. I stay away from completely green bananas specifically because they go straight to brown.

 

[biggestmuff]

exactly. Look at the amount of seedless fruits. Look at the amount of fruits and vegetables that have less seeds and smaller sized seeds.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
maybe true if the GMO's were designed for production-friendly traits. since longer shelf life is demanded by the market, i'm sure there is motivation on somebody's part to meet that demand. nearly everything in a US food market is GMO, and has been for a while. go to any plant shop and look for the dwindling shelf of expensive "legacy" seeds.

Not as true for overseas or imported crops. They can't afford the price premium on GMO seeds, even if it does mean a bigger yield. Besides, I don't even know how they'd do it with bananas, since they aren't grown from seeds.

And GMO seeds DO cost more, make no mistake...any bizarre price premium for "legacy" seeds in the US is strictly an artifact, like the higher cost of diesel over gasoline.

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
exactly. Look at the amount of seedless fruits. Look at the amount of fruits and vegetables that have less seeds and smaller sized seeds.

Seedless and GMO are not the same thing.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

wild bananas look nasty and are full of seeds. i'm all in favor of domestication of the banana, and all food, through traditional, natural plant/animal husbandry.

edit: bananas are cloned and spliced, like french grapes, right? could you splice multiple banana varieties on an existing banana plant?

 

[Kadarin]

Mmmmm, bananas.... We get free bananas at work, and they're so popular that sometimes I think we're all going to turn into gorillas at some point.

 

[ThePresence]

I haven't eaten a banana since I was about 6 years old.