Do You Refrigerate Bananas?

Bananas are a tropical fruit that grows on sturdy stalks. Most are grown near the equator and are picked in large bunches while still green. They are shipped around the world to commercial markets. By the time bananas reach the consumer, they are ripening and must be used or refrigerated within days of purchase.

Function

Bananas are popular in the United States as fresh fruit. The banana is a self-contained snack. It is left in its skin until ripe, then the skin is peeled away and the banana is eaten. Fresh bananas are sliced and added to pudding, pies and gelatin desserts. Snack banana chips are made from dehydrated bananas. Ripe bananas are chopped or mashed and used in baked foods such as muffins and bread. In Asian countries bananas are fried in batter and sometimes baked in their skins.

Time Frame

When bananas are cut from their stalk, they begin to ripen. They are perishable and are immediately packed for shipping. Freighter shipping is the most practical way to reach major markets in the United States and Europe. The trip takes about two weeks from plantation to market. The bananas are loaded on refrigerated ships as refrigeration slows the ripening process. Once bananas reach their destination, they are either ripened in special rooms or shipped to the stores as green bananas.

Features

Major banana producers like Chiquita identify the ripening banana in distinct stages. The banana begins as an all-green fruit. As the banana ripens, the fruit is more green than yellow. As it ripens further, the banana becomes more yellow than green. Soon the banana is mostly yellow with green tips and necks. In the ripe stage, the fruit is yellow with no green tips, though it may have light green necks. As a fully ripe banana, the fruit is all yellow with brown flecks on the skin.

Effects

When bananas are ripe, they can be refrigerated at home. At the desired stage of ripening, usually yellow with green tips or fully ripe with brown specks, the whole banana is put in the refrigerator. The skin turns dark but the flesh stays firm and tasty. The refrigerator stops the ripening process. The bananas stay fresh in the darkening skins for 3 to 5 days.

Considerations

The dark skin on refrigerated bananas is unappealing to many people. The banana is more likely to be eaten if it is peeled and sliced for serving. If it is dropped unpeeled into a lunch box or bag, a child or adult is likely to discard the banana thinking that it has spoiled.

Expert Insight

Banana producers like Dole offer advice on freezing bananas at home. Dole recommends freezing peeled bananas in airtight plastic containers. Other experts suggest a consumer can freeze ripe bananas in their skins or peeled and placed in freezer bags. Bananas can be frozen whole, chunked or mashed. Frozen bananas should be used immediately after thawing. Thawed bananas are excellent for baking and banana-flavored recipes. Their flavor is good but the texture is not well suited to snacking.

Resources

• Chiquita: About Bananas
• Dole: Storing Bananas