A perfectly ripe, yellow-colored banana in the morning can turn into an overripe, brown-speckled fruit by lunchtime. The factors that influence the ripening process for a banana include its exposure to other foods --- particularly other fruit --- and temperature conditions. Cold conditions are not appropriate for green bananas, but they preserve the life of already ripened bananas. A cut banana requires additional preservation methods to keep it looking and tasting fresh for lunch.
Step 1
Store a whole banana away from other foods, particularly other ripe fruits. The banana may develop unwanted flavors if stored too closely to strong-smelling foods. Ripe fruits release ethylene gas, which can cause the banana to ripen faster.
Step 2
Keep a very ripe banana -- yellow with specks of brown -- in the refrigerator to stop the ripening process and preserve it until lunch time.
Step 3
Toss pieces of cut banana with a citrus juice such as orange or lemon juice to prevent the fruit from discoloring. Drain off any excess juice before storing the banana in an airtight container; keep the container in a refrigerator to keep the banana fresh.
Things You'll Need
- Citrus juice
- Airtight container
Member Comments