Why do bananas turn brown so fast?

[Logix]

Literally just three minutes after slicing open this banana, the skin where I made the incision turned completely brown. Why/How does it do this so fast?

 

[ILikeSprite]

It don't like you...........

 

[Rallispec]

it has something to do with some chemical reactions when it comes in contact with the air. Same thing happens when you slice an apple, it turns brown. If you squirt a little lemon juice on it after you cut it, this should prevent it from browning so fast. Not sure why though.

 

[Logix]

Yeah, but apples don't turn brown in three minutes. More like 10 or something. Bananas are just so damn quick that it's a bit disconcerting.

 

[Wallydraigle]

It's an oxidation reaction. I'm not sure why it happens so fast, but it probably has something to do with the fact that where banannas come from the growth cycle is so fast there's really no reason for the fruit to last a long time. Bananna trees grow from seed to a fruiting size tree in just a year or two, then they produce a bunch of seeds and die. Each bananna tree only fruits once, but it makes a BUNCH of seeds.

 

[Phunktion]

Apples let of a gas that hastens the browning of bananas so keeping the Apples away from bananas helps to make them stay yellow longer..