What Happens to Bananas When They're Put in the Refrigerator?

Harvest to Home

• To extend the life of bananas, growers harvest the fruit when they are still green and unripe. Consumers who bring home green bananas from the produce department typically leave the fruit on the kitchen counter to ripen naturally. Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension's "Food Storage Guidelines For Consumers" recommends ripening bananas at room temperature for three to five days. Chlorophyll in the ripe banana gives the peel a green tint. During the ripening process, the bananas release ethylene gas, causing the chlorophyll to disappear and the pigment of the skin to change to a yellow, revealing the flavones and carotenes. If placed in the refrigerator, the cold interferes with the ripening process.

Ripening Process

• During the ripening process, the ethylene gas helps change the starches in the banana to sugar. Pectin in the unripe banana makes the cells firm; yet during the ripening process, the pectin breaks down, and the fruit softens. If placed in a cold refrigerator, this process stops.

Damaged Skin

• The cold temperature in the refrigerator damages the skin of the banana. Damaged skins turn dark and brown. Yet, a brown-skinned banana stored in the refrigerator may have perfectly good fruit inside while a brown-skinned banana kept on the kitchen counter will have overripe fruit.

Freezer

• Many consumers store extra bananas for an extended period of time in the refrigerator's freezer to use later in baking, add to smoothies or use in other recipes. A thawed banana does not have the same consistency as a fresh banana as it will get mushy fairly quickly. Yet, the frozen banana is still suitable for many uses. While some consumers leave the bananas in their peels when storing in the freezer, others remove the peels and place the fruit in a freezer bag before freezing. A peeled frozen banana is much easier to use than one left in its peel. Once frozen, the banana is difficult to peel; and if you thaw the fruit before peeling, it becomes mushy and messy. The cold from the freezer will also cause the peel to turn black.