All of us from time to time make a decision from tomorrow to eat right, lean on vegetables and fruits. And today we’ll talk about the most popular of tropical fruits. Is it possible to store bananas in the refrigerator and how to preserve their beneficial properties?
Storage of bananas of varying degrees of ripeness
The method of storage depends on the degree of ripeness of the fruit. Bananas are:
- green - an unripe fruit of green color or just beginning to turn yellow, with a dense and firm peel;
- ripe - the peel is soft, the stalk is light brown, the fruit itself has a saturated yellow color;
- overripe - the stalk and peel are soft, darkened. Black dots and spots appear on the peel. The pulp of the fruit resembles a poorly mashed banana puree, which holds only thanks to the skin.
Unripe fruits reach the condition in which they can be eaten in a dark place at a temperature of 15-17 degrees.
When African fruits were still not sold on every corner, they were exotic and there were huge queues behind them, our mothers kept unripe bananas in felt boots. Ideal temperature and darkness!
When storing ripe bananas, the main thing is not to let them overripe. Rapid rotting of the fetus causes ethylene. It enters the fetus from the air through the peduncle and spreads along the entire length of the fruit. An easy way to prevent the penetration of ethylene is to wrap the fruit stalks with ordinary cling film. This will allow the fruit to be stored for about a week, but only at room temperature. If you store ripe bananas in the refrigerator, even the presence of a film will not help.
Overripe fruits are used for freezing. First you need to peel them and cut them in batches, because you can’t freeze the banana pulp a second time.
Why is it better not to store bananas in the refrigerator?
This, of course, is not a global issue, but the debate has not subsided for many years. So can bananas be stored in the refrigerator or not?
- Unripe berries do not exactly need cooling. The cold prevents ripening, so they will remain green.
- Bright yellow fruits are best kept at room temperature. In the refrigerator, the skin will darken very quickly. It is believed that when stored in a cold place, the fruits lose their inherent taste and aroma and begin to acidify. However, if the ripened bananas could not be eaten immediately, then for a while they can be put in the refrigerator. The skin will turn black, but the flesh will remain fresh.
- Overripe bananas are the place in the fridge. Only peeled, cut in portions and put in plastic containers. Later, pieces of fruit can be smashed in mashed potatoes, added to smoothies, ice cream, pancakes or any other culinary delights.
In a banana, grown correctly, in the refrigerator, the peel will be covered with dark spots. Natural chemical processes occur leading to this result. But if the skin does not darken in the cold, then you should think: were preservatives and chemicals used during the growth of the fruits?
Banana Storage Rules
A few additional secrets about storing banana stocks:
- Bananas cannot be stored in the vicinity of other fruits. Only if you need to quickly make a green banana ripe, you can put an apple to it - it will accelerate ripening.
- Storage temperature is just as important as humidity. In a humid environment, the banana peel quickly begins to become covered with black spots. Therefore, when wrapping the cuttings with a film, you need to make sure that not a drop of water falls under it.
- If you want to keep the bananas in the right condition for more than a week, then you need to separate them not only from other fruits, but also from each other.
- These fruits are afraid of bright sunlight. So that they do not darken, do not put them on the windowsill.
- Any vegetables and fruits do not need to be put in a plastic bag - this contributes to their rapid deterioration.
- So that the thawed banana slices look presentable, you can soak them in a solution of water with vinegar for 2 minutes. One part of the acid should account for 4 parts of water.
Why do we need these bananas?
Banana flesh is just a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients. It contains all B vitamins, beta-carotene, fiber, pectin, iron, phosphorus, potassium and calcium, sodium and magnesium, fructose.
Banana fruits act on the body as follows:
- strengthen the heart muscle;
- beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- lower cholesterol;
- prevent the occurrence of stress;
- improve your mood.
Despite the fact that the fruit is sweet, it can be consumed with diabetes. Just choose green bananas: they, unlike ripe ones, do not increase blood glucose levels.
One thing is not happy - the high calorie content of banana pulp. Eating more than 2 fruits per day is dangerous for harmony. However, this applies not only to bananas: everything that is excessive is not healthy.
Read about bananas here.
Is it true that a banana is actually a berry?
We used to consider banana fruit. It looks like a fruit, is used as a fruit in cooking and has a fruity taste. In cultivated varieties there are no seeds, but in the wild-growing fruits there are a great many of them. But by all the rules of botany, this is a berry!
How to grow a banana palm at home?
From a fruit with seeds, you can grow a banana tree at home. Seeds are taken from an overripe banana, soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, dried and planted.
So, a banana is a sunny tropical fruit, therefore it does not like cold. But if he is already hopelessly overripe, it is worth sending it to the refrigerator until use.