In the case of dessert bananas, there is a marked difference between bananas that are still green and bananas that are yellow and ready to eat.
A green banana (also plantains) contains about 22% starch, whereas a completley ripe banana contains the same amount of sugar.
During the final stages of ripening, the starch is transformed into several types of sugar, and the banana releases ethylene gas (C2H4) into the surrounding air. The ethylene gas acts as a catalyst or a trigger, causing the bananas nearby to ripen.
How does the color of the banana peel affect the substances contained? The date come from a well-known brand of bananas.
| Color of Peel: | \t\t\tSugar (%) | \t\t\tStarch (%) | \t\t
| More green than yellow: | \t\t\t4–7 | \t\t\t15–18 | \t\t
| More yellow than green: | \t\t\t6–12 | \t\t\t10–16 | \t\t
| Yellow with green ends: | \t\t\t10–18 | \t\t\t4–12 | \t\t
| Very yellow: | \t\t\t16–20 | \t\t\t2–4 | \t\t
| Yellow with brown spots: | \t\t\t20–21 | \t\t\t1–2 | \t\t
Canarian bananas, in particular, should be eaten when they have reached their peak ripeness as it is only then that their flavor is fully developed. Just as the starch is converted into sugars, at the same time chlorophyll is replaced by carotene, giving the banana its color.
If you purchase green bananas and want them to ripen quickly, you can wrap them in newspaper with an apple, a tomato, banana, or pineapple, all of which produce ethylene gas. Then place them in the shade at 64–72°F (18–22°C).
If you are not in a hurry, simply place the bananas in a fruit bowl and wait until they are ready to eat. You should cut off any brown spots on the crown.
Bananas shouldn’t be stored in the refrigerator because our bananas die at a temperature below 50°F (10°C) (normal bananas at 54°F (12°C)); the “color vascular system” is destroyed, and the peel turns first gray and then black. I have repeated these two points as they are quite important.
You, too, can help to reduce the high margin between the purchase and sales prices that retailers have to calculate in as a result of spoilage. Retailers have difficulties as they aren’t able to sell bananas that are too green or too ripe. When in doubt, customers generally choose green bananas over ripe bananas. This makes the storage situation for retailers much more difficult and leads to losses.
But you now know that very ripe bananas from us taste better than those that are not fully ripened — and that you can always store them until they reach your preferred ripeness.
If you want the bananas to ripen before being sold, you add 0.1 ppm of the same gas right at the beginning. It is best when the bananas are still more green than yellow when they arrive at their point of sale.
This way consumers can choose for themselves at what stage they want to eat the bananas. However, Canarian bananas are more difficult to ripen than the big brand bananas, and they take on the appearance of being “overripe” much sooner. Luckily, they still stay good for some time and they taste better.
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