Plucked ripe bananas cannot maintain quality for a long time and quickly begin to rot during transportation. Therefore, the bananas are delivered slightly unripe.
Transporting unripe bananas helps keep them fresh. However, the fruits cannot ripen on their own due to the high starch content. Therefore, bananas are carbonated before being sold.
Aeration of bananas - what is it?
Unripe bananas have a greenish peel and sharp edges. A ripe banana has an almost round cross-section, since all the edges are extremely smoothed. To get ripe fruits, they are subjected to aeration process.
Aeration of bananas allows you to convert starchy substances into sugar. This procedure allows you to achieve optimal ripeness of the fruit.
Bananas brought from distant lands are stored in ventilated boxes at a temperature of 13-15 degrees. For aeration, fruits are placed in a special heat-insulating chamber, in which they are heated to 18-20 degrees. Then, the room is filled with a special gas, which is a mixture of ethylene and nitrogen. In the absence of oxygen, ethylene has a positive effect on the rate of fruit ripening.
The ripening process starts about a day after the bananas are kept in the chamber. Full maturation occurs after about 3-7 days.
Aeration is a simple procedure that does not harm the quality of fruits and does not have a negative effect on the body of a person who has eaten bananas. You can also perform the procedure at home.
How to make aeration of bananas at home
On an industrial scale, ripening of bananas is achieved by setting a certain temperature regime and humidity level. At home, a banana will ripen with a deep bowl, plastic wrap, and a few apples.
In the first case, bananas are placed in a basin and tightly covered with plastic wrap. Then, the container is removed to an unlit place, for example, under a closet or bed. After 2-3 days, the fruits will acquire a characteristic bright yellow banana color and become much sweeter.
The second option involves placing unripe bunches of bananas in a bowl along with a few apples. Apples release ethylene, which will build up under the film and help ripen the bananas.
If a person is distrustful of the gassing procedure, even at home, he may eat unripe fruits. Their only difference from ripe fruits is a lack of sugar and a tart, slightly astringent taste. All vitamins and minerals in unripe banana are fully present.
