Why banana should not be kept in fridge?

Discussion in 'General Science & Technology' started by plakhapate, Apr 16, 2005.

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  1. plakhapate Banned Banned

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    Many people told me not to keep banana in fridge.

    What is the scientific reason?

    or it is just a belief.

    It is well known that moisture loss is there , but it is applicable to any fruit or vegetable.

    P.J.LAKHAPATE
    plakhapate@rediffmail.com
     
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  3. madhan Registered Member

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    yes i want to add few more things with this doubt

    it is not only banana or the edibles that arise out of the source banana, banana leaves, banana in its initial stage everything .....

    even i am interested to know abt that
     
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  5. phlogistician Banned Banned

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    It's best to let bananas ripen on an hanger, with plenty of airflow around them. If you leave them on top of other fruit in a fruit bowl, they can start other fruit in contact with them rotting. I guess therefore a confined space like a fridge cannot dissipate whatever it is that bananas give off easily, and other things in the fridge might have a shorter lifespan.
     
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  7. Clockwood You Forgot Poland Registered Senior Member

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    I know they pump out loads of ethelene gas, which speeds the ripening of other fruits. This goes against the purpose of a fridge, which is to lengthen the shelf life of spoilable produce by about a week.

    On a side note, this gas also causes many flowers to drop their petals and some plants to go into bloom.
     
  8. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    Bananas: Bananas will ripen at room temperature, away from
    heat or direct sun. Don't refrigerate under-ripe bananas
    because they'll never get any riper. Once they get to the
    right stage, however, you can put them in the refrigerator
    for up to two weeks. The outside will turn black, but the
    fruit is still quite edible. If you end up with a lot of
    overripe bananas and can't bear to make another loaf of
    banana bread, cut them into chunks, wrap them in plastic
    wrap and put them in the freezer. When you want a sweet
    treat this summer, just pop one in your mouth.


    http://groups.msn.com/WorldwideFoodFriends/howtoproperlystoreyourfavouritefruits.msnw
     
  9. Odin'Izm Procrastinator Registered Senior Member

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    lol ethelene gas is a halucinogen if taken properly... so I hope they do, it meens alot more fun for me.
     
  10. cryogenic Registered Senior Member

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    You've obviously never froze your banana. LOL

    Bananas ripen faster in the fridge, but this one stays away from the freezer.

    LOL
     
  11. water the sea Registered Senior Member

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    I confirm this observation. With the exception that I have never tried to put under-ripe bananas into the refrigerator.


    I suppose one of the main "reasons" to not put bananas in the fridge is that they turn really, really ugly on the outside. And the way food looks is often an important factor in our choice of food.
     
  12. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    24,690
    Many fruits originally from the tropics don't withstand refrigeration well. Tomatoes are another. They don't do as poorly as bananas in the fridge, but they keep best at a warm room temperature, somewhere in the 70s. Try leaving your tomatoes out in the room unless you live in a very hot climate.
     
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    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 3, 2007
  14. Facial Valued Senior Member

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    2,225
    I secondly confirm this observation. You CAN put a ripe banana into a fridge for up to about 2 weeks and it still stays fresh. The outside looks really misleading, since it turns black within several days and appears to be rotting.
     
  15. CANGAS Registered Senior Member

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    YOUR banana should not be "kept" in MY fridge, because as soon as I see it, it will feed the big ugly pink hairless monkey.
     
  16. bhagyesht Registered Member

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    Nice post, I never know why bananas shouldnt have been put in the fridge
     
  17. shorty_37 Go! Canada Go! Registered Senior Member

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    Actually I have a problem with this. If the banana goes in the fridge it goes black, nobody wants to eat them.

    If I leave them on the counter I seem to get fruit flies, how do you avoid them?
     
  18. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    agreed. Ever try making a kid eat a black banana?
    I think we eat more banana bread, muffins, and pancakes that actual whole bananas now
     
  19. templegreen Registered Member

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    Google says...

    Ripening your Banana

    The bananas that are shipped to many parts of the world (from places such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Mexico, and Nicaragua) are picked green from the trees, and are kept from ripening until they reach the shops. As the banana ripens, all that mealy, squishy starch is supposed to turn into sugar. Unfortunately, if the bananas are refrigerated at any time between being picked and being eaten, they will not ripen properly. So don't stick them in the fridge. Imperfectly ripened bananas are composed of starch; but as the natural ripening proceeds, the saccharine material is converted into dextrin and glucose. The best thing to do is to get a paper bag and store them somewhere at room temperature. If you can, find a way to hang the bananas from a hook, you'll avoid bruising the bottoms. When they look ripe enough, stick them in a fridge (again, in a container that protects the bottoms). The skin will blacken, but the fruit will remain at the same ripeness.
     
  20. Stryder Keeper of "good" ideas. Valued Senior Member

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    Ripening bananas are also handy for ripening other fruit faster, that's why you find if you have a fruit bowl with many different fruit they spoil quicker if bananas are present. (This is to do with the chemicals given off by ripening fruit which they mostly share in common.)
     
  21. shorty_37 Go! Canada Go! Registered Senior Member

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    I have noticed that, now I keep them separate.
     
  22. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    Black bananas make great banana bread!

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  23. Tweetypie Registered Member

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    Bananas in Fridge

    I'll tell you what I do. I don't like ripe bananas so, when I bring the partially green ones from the store, I cut them in half and put them in an bowl in the fridge with no covering. They seem to last longer by cutting them in half and will last up to 2 weeks or more. And... they do ripen because sometimes they are too soft for me.
     
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