There's a simple secret to make bananas last longer

Photo: Rene Johnston / Toronto Star via Getty Image

Experts claim that bananas spoil due to ethylene — a gas-hormone that they produce themselves during ripening. This is why a banana is often placed in a bag with firm persimmons, avocados, or mangoes to help them ripen faster. But for the bananas themselves, this creates a vicious cycle: the more they ripen, the more ethylene they release, and the more gas there is around, the faster further ripening occurs. As soon as one fruit in a bunch starts to darken, the others instantly "catch up" to it.

Suppliers are well aware of the role of ethylene. They purchase this fruit in producer countries, where it is picked while still completely green and hard as a rock. Before bringing bananas to stores, they are placed in special chambers and treated with ethylene to "wake up" the banana and start the ripening process.

Why should you use a hook?

The main rule for long preservation is that bananas must be well ventilated. As Daniel Barabino, head of the large American company Top Banana, told The New York Times, ethylene is slightly lighter than air. If bananas lie in a bowl or are tightly pressed against each other, the gas concentrates around them and accelerates the rotting process.

Therefore, it is best to hang bananas on a special holder or a regular kitchen hook. When the bunch hangs in the air, ethylene dissipates faster, and the fruit stays fresh for several days longer.

Hanging has another plus: bananas get bruised less. Even if there are no obvious spots on the peel, the pulp inside can be damaged by the pressure of its own weight. And any damage triggers a "wound response," and the banana starts to produce even more gas. Therefore, try not to drop them or press them with other products in your bag.

But not only impacts are dangerous. When the bunch is cut from the main stem, a serious wound forms on the "crown" (the point where the fruits connect), which also releases ethylene. Experts advise: to extend the "shelf life," the stem of the bunch should be tightly wrapped with food wrap. This helps slow down the spread of the gas.

And finally: never put bananas in the refrigerator. This is a tropical fruit; it fears the cold. Low temperature leads to rapid oxidation: the peel turns black, and the pulp becomes mushy. Ideal conditions for bananas are normal room temperature (from +14 to +24 °C).

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