GAINESVILLE, Fla., June 28 (Our Florida Times) — Green bananas are not automatically a sign of bad fruit, and a University of Florida specialist says the color can reflect how the bananas were harvested and stored as much as how ripe they are.
Jonathan Crane, a retired tropical fruit crops specialist at the University of Florida’s Tropical Research and Education Center, said bananas picked too early may never reach full flavor or texture. “If bananas are harvested immature, then they won’t ripen properly to full flavor and/or texture,” he told Fox News Digital.
Crane said cold storage or transport can also interfere with ripening. He said bananas exposed to temperatures that are too cold can develop “chilling injury,” which can leave the fruit green or greenish-yellow even after an extended period. He said bananas are best stored between 56 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit.
The color change also affects what is in the fruit. Lauren Manaker, a South Carolina-based registered dietitian, told Fox News Digital that ripe and green bananas both provide potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C, but greener bananas contain more resistant starch.
Manaker said that may make a greener banana a better choice for people watching blood sugar. A peer-reviewed review published on the NIH’s PubMed Central platform found the most studied benefits of green banana consumption were related to gastrointestinal symptoms and diseases, followed by glycemic and insulin metabolism and weight control.
As bananas ripen, more of that resistant starch changes into sugar.
