3 Ways to Anticipate Bananas from Ripening Too Fast

2024 Author: Jason Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 10:50

Bananas turn brown for several reasons. When you cut a banana, the oxygen in the air affects the enzymes in the banana, causing it to turn brown. Meanwhile, when the banana peel turns brown, it is because the yellow pigment in the banana peel has decreased and is not replaced, instead it produces a brown color. Knowing the science behind bananas ripening is essential, so you can keep your bananas fresh, delicious and edible. Here are some ways to prevent bananas from ripening too quickly.

Step

Method 1 of 3: Preserving Bananas in the Peel

Step 1. Buy bananas that are green at the ends and yellow in the middle

This means that the banana is still not ripe.

• Make sure the bananas don't have brown spots or broken parts. Cuts/defects and punctures cause the bananas to be affected by the air, which can speed up the ripening process.
• Don't choose bananas that are completely yellow. Bananas cook quickly and have a very short shelf life. For that reason, you need to make sure to buy some bananas that are still green; this way you have plenty of time to store them before the ripening process occurs.

Step 2. Keep the bananas at room temperature (±20-25°C) until they ripen by themselves

Avoid exposing bananas to heat as this will speed up the ripening process.

Do not store bananas in the refrigerator before cooking. Doing so will have the opposite effect and make the banana peel turn brown more quickly. This happens because the cold air causes the cell walls to break down prematurely, allowing the production of melanin which turns the banana skin completely black. Ironically, the inside of the banana will remain unripe because the cold temperature hinders the ripening process

Step 3. Hang the bananas

This will prevent the bananas from hurting and becoming exposed to the air, you can also cover the stems of the banana bunches with plastic wrap. This will limit the amount of oxygen the stems receive and can keep the bananas fresh for a week.

Step 4. Keep bananas away from other fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables secrete special hormones/compounds that can speed up the ripening process.

• Storing various (agricultural) products together can speed up the ripening process. Surprisingly, ripening is contagious. Naturally, plants produce a hormone called ethylene, which causes ripening. Brown fruit and vegetables release more ethylene than usual, and cause fresh fruit/vegetables nearby to ripen faster.
• Do not store bananas in sealed bags/bags. Such storage will cause the bananas to brown more quickly because the ethylene hormone they produce is trapped and remains around the fruit.

Step 5. Store bananas in the refrigerator as soon as they are ripe

By that time the ripening process has started, you can delay it by applying a cold temperature from the refrigerator.

• To stop the ripening process, you need to inhibit the chemical reaction caused by ethylene. Cold temperatures will inhibit the circulation of ethylene and delay the inside of the banana from ripening.
• Don't worry if the banana peel has turned black, which it most likely will. The blackened part is just the banana peel pigment and has nothing to do with the freshness of the banana inside. The bananas should still be flavorful and still a little strong.

Method 2 of 3: Preserving Peeled Bananas

Step 1. Put the peeled bananas in an airtight plastic container and store them in the freezer. You can thaw the bananas for future use.

• Although peeled bananas have no protection from exposure to air, an airtight sealed container acts to limit the amount of fresh air that comes into direct contact with the bananas. The freezing temperature will slow down the emission of ethylene more than simply cooling it.

  

• Unlike refrigerated bananas, frozen bananas cannot be eaten immediately. You will need to let the bananas sit at room temperature (±20-25°C) for about an hour to allow them to thaw.

  

Step 2. Coat the bananas with lemon or lime juice by dipping or smearing

The acidity of the orange acts as a curing agent and keeps the yellow color of the bananas for a longer time.

• You don't need to saturate bananas in lemon juice. Adding more lemon juice is not synonymous with better preservation. Too much of it will make the bananas have a nauseous sour taste.
• As an alternative for a sweeter taste, substitute lemon juice for pineapple, sweet orange, or apple juice. All three types of fruit have enough acidity to slow down the process of changing the color of bananas to brown, but do not need to be diluted. Apple juice is also light enough to be barely detectable; choose juices from other fruits if you plan to mix bananas with them next.

Step 3. Dip the peeled bananas in the water-vinegar solution

This method also uses acidity to preserve bananas but uses vinegar instead of fruit juice.

• Using vinegar is a great alternative if the fruit juice distorts the banana flavor too much. Just add 1/4 cup of vinegar for every cup of water. Dip the bananas, sliced or whole, in the vinegar-water solution for 3 minutes.
• Avoid immersing bananas in the water-vinegar solution for longer than 3 minutes. Soaking can cause the bananas to become too soft and can give a strong vinegar taste, which is likely less appetizing than lemon or lime juice.

Step 4. Soak bananas in a solution of water with crushed vitamin C

If you don't have fruit or vinegar on hand, vitamin C can have a similar effect when dissolved in water.

• Crush a vitamin C tablet with a spoon and add it to a glass of water. Stir the mixture, then dip the bananas in it for a few seconds.

  

• The effervescent vitamin C tablets react especially well to this. Put one vitamin C tablet in a glass. As soon as the foaming process stops, stop the mixture and immediately dip the bananas in it for a few seconds.

  

Method 3 of 3: Recipe for Overcooking Bananas

Step 1. Bake banana bread

Just because you may not slow down the ripening of all bananas, doesn't mean you can't use them to make something delicious.

• Actually, banana bread will have the sweetest and most flavorful taste if you use very ripe bananas to make it. Well, banana bread is usually the answer, when bananas are considered an "unavoidable defeat."
• Bananas can actually be eaten longer than you might think. As long as the bananas you store do not contain mold, fruit flies, or traces of fruit fly eggs, they are still edible, regardless of their softness or darkening of the skin.

Step 2. Smoothies from a mixture of biscuits, bananas, and apples. Smoothie is a drink made from a mixture of frozen fruit, honey/syrup, and shaved ice or a mixture of fruit, milk, yogurt/ice cream, which is crushed in a blender until smooth. To make this delicious drink, all you need to do is put a very ripe banana and a few other ingredients in a blender.

• The ingredients you will need are a very ripe banana, half a peeled apple that has been cleaned in the middle, four biscuits (the ingredient in the original recipe was Biscoff cookies, which are cinnamon biscuits. Biscoff is a trademark. Biscoff also stands for biscuit+coffee, not coffee-flavored biscuits but biscuits usually served with coffee), a pinch of cinnamon, teaspoon of vanilla extract, a cup of milk, and a handful of ice cubes.
• Place the bananas, apples, and biscuits in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the other ingredients and continue blending. Then you can add milk until you reach the consistency you want.
• To make the texture even more special, add whole oats or mix them into a smoothie. This will give the smoothie an element of crunch to compensate for the flavor of the fat in it.

Step 3. Freeze the melted bananas into the Bananas Foster Popsicle Mold. Bananas Foster, which is very easy to make, is one of the most popular desserts in New Orleans (United States).

• You will need 2 very ripe bananas that have been thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons brown sugar (light brown sugar); 1 tablespoon butter; 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon; 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt; 1/2 cup milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla; and 1 teaspoon of rum extract.
• First, put the bananas, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl; then microwave it for 30 seconds until the bananas are soft. Stir the mixture. Allow the bananas to cool, then place the mixture in a blender along with the Greek yogurt, milk, vanilla and rum extract. Blend all ingredients. Pour the blended mixture into popsicle molds (stemmed ice cream) and place in the freezer for a few hours until completely frozen. Remove the bananas from the popsicle molds when you are ready to serve them.