How does starch delays the ripening of banana?

Answer 1

Placing a banana in a refrigerator will stop the ripening process, and doing so will prevent the further ripening of the fruit, even after it has been removed from the refrigerator. Therefore, store the fruit in a refrigerator only after it has reached the desired stage of ripeness.

The skin of a banana turns brown or black faster in the refrigerator, but the banana meat itself does not ripen that much more. In fact, it is recommended that ripened bananas be frozen to preserve them even longer. The cold temperature of a refrigerator encourages an enzyme (polyphenyl oxidase), which is naturally found in the banana, to polymerise phenols in the banana skin into polyphenols. Polyphenols are similar to melanin, the pigment responsible for the color in our skin. This is what blackens the skin of the bananas. Despite the color, the cold temperature will keep bananas firmer than a banana that has been left at room temperature for the same amount of time. The enzymes that break the starch into sugar, which makes the banana soft and ripe, work better at room temperature.

Answer 2

Starch does not delay the ripening process. Certain enzymes found in bananas convert starch into sugars, which is part of the ripening process that make the fruit soft and sweet. Anything that prevents the starch from being converted to sugar, such as cold temperatures, will delay or even prevent the ripening of the bananas.

Answer 3

Starch in unripe bananas converts to sugars as the fruit ripens, but it also helps to slow down the ripening process by acting as a barrier to the enzyme that breaks down the cell walls in the fruit. This helps maintain the firmness and green color of the banana for a longer period before it starts to soften and turn yellow.