After cutting, bananas continue to “live”: thanks to natural gas ethylene, they undergo ripening processes. But there are mistakes that speed up this process. As a result, the very next morning you can see how yesterday’s perfect bananas have darkened and become limp. Expert Dmitry Zmievsky spoke about typical mistakes when storing these fruits.
Mistake #1: Storing at room temperature
Nowadays, in the heat at room temperature, bananas spoil many times faster. High temperature accelerates internal ripening processes. In the hot summer heat they will turn black in just a few hours. And if you put them next to pears and apples, which in turn also emit ethylene, then the bananas will have an hour or two left to “live.”
Solution: Place the bananas in a paper bag (not plastic!) and place them in the refrigerator – in the bottom fruit drawer. Don't keep other fruits nearby. But if you bought green bananas, then the refrigerator is not the best option, since the cold stops the ripening process.
Important: if the next day you take bananas out of the refrigerator and see black peel, do not rush to discount them. Remove the peel – most likely the inside of the banana is still perfect. The fact is that low temperature destroys its pigment, and it quickly turns black, but this does not affect the fruit itself.
Mistake #2: Impacts and damage
If on the way home you accidentally hit the bananas a couple of times or put them at the very bottom of the bag, the damaged area will quickly begin to darken.
Solution: Place bananas at the very top of the bag, do not crush them with other products or bottles.
Mistake #3: Washing before storing
Bananas do not tolerate high humidity well. If you wash them and leave them in storage without drying them, they will deteriorate faster.
Lifehack: Wrap banana stems in foil to prolong their freshness.
