How to make bananas ripen quickly

Bananas are a relatively common fruit and are very helpful to our body, but they are difficult to preserve and can go bad if you are not careful. For this reason, many fruit farmers will pick some unripe bananas to sell, which leads to us buying unripe bananas on a regular basis. When this happens, many people let it ripen naturally, but this takes a long time. So is there any way to ripen bananas quickly?

1. Choose bananas that are green at both ends and yellow in the middle. This color means the bananas are not yet ripe.

Avoid bananas that have brown spots or bruises. The petechiae expose the banana flesh to air, accelerating ripening.

Do not choose bananas that have turned completely yellow. Because bananas ripen quickly, their shelf life is short. So choose green bananas so that they can be stored longer.

2. Store bananas at room temperature until they are fully ripe. Avoid heat, as this will accelerate ripening.

Don't put bananas in the refrigerator before they are ripe, otherwise it will have the opposite effect and cause the banana skin to turn brown faster. Bananas turn black because low temperatures cause the cell walls to rupture prematurely and produce melanin. The strange thing is that even though the bananas turn black, the flesh inside is still not ripe because the low temperature prevents the flesh from ripening.

3. Hang the bananas on the banana rack. This will reduce bruising on the bananas and prevent the flesh from being exposed to air. You can also wrap the banana stem with plastic wrap to reduce the amount of oxygen the flesh is exposed to, thus extending its shelf life by about a week.

4. Separate bananas from other fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables emit a special hormone that accelerates ripening.

Mixing accelerates ripening. Interestingly, maturity is contagious. Plants naturally emit a hormone called ethylene, which is what causes them to mature. Fruits and vegetables that have turned brown emit more ethylene than normal, so they will cause the surrounding fresh fruits and vegetables to ripen faster.

Do not store bananas in airtight bags. The ethylene is trapped in the bag and cannot be released, which will cause the bananas to brown faster.

5. Refrigerate bananas after they are ripe. When bananas are ripe, they can be stored in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.

In order to delay the maturity period, the chemical reactions caused by ethylene need to be reduced. Low temperatures can slow down the release of ethylene, causing bananas to ripen more slowly.

Don't be surprised if the skin of a refrigerated banana turns black; this is normal. The blackening of the banana peel has no effect on the freshness of the flesh. The flesh inside is still firm and delicious.

6. Peel and keep fresh

Freeze peeled bananas in an airtight container. Thaw naturally before eating.

Although banana flesh is not protected by the banana peel, a sealed storage box can also isolate the air. Low temperature can reduce the emission of ethylene, and freezing is better than refrigeration.

Refrigerated bananas can be eaten directly, while frozen bananas need to be thawed. Thaw naturally at room temperature for one hour before eating.