Placing bananas in a fruit bowl might seem like a common practice, but it’s actually one of the worst places to store them.
Most people don’t realize that most fruits produce a substance called ethylene gas, a naturally occurring hormone that causes fruits to ripen, making them tastier. When fruits are piled on top of each other, they release a lot of ethylene gas into the air, causing the nearby fruits to spoil quickly and rot in just a few days.
Bananas, in particular, have a short shelf life and are not only highly sensitive to ethylene gas but also release large amounts of it from their stems. Therefore, it’s better to keep bananas as far away as possible from other fruits.
Experts from Zest Food Services suggest that bananas can be stored with citrus fruits like oranges and lemons, as they are not affected by the gas. However, fruits with protective skins should not be stored with bananas.
Bananas should also be kept away from pears, honeydew melons, mangoes, peaches, and plums.
Instead, if you want bananas to stay fresh, it’s best to keep them in a separate bowl away from your other fruits and cover the banana stems to reduce the gas production.
