Green Bananas

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Don't taste very nice but are they still good for you?

They're not completely green, they're kind of half green, half yellow.
 

bauldbairn

New Member
Location
Falkirk
I love bananas but not the green ones - buy green and eat when yellow:smile:, not black euch!!:laugh:

I think I've heard mentioned that there's more potassium and less sugar in the green ones???????:smile::wacko:
Some nutritionist chap/ess will put us right! :smile:
 

yello

Guest
Certainly less sugar, as I only found out earlier today! The starch turns to sugar as it ripens. I don't know about potassium though. I'll let google be my friend.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I don't like green bananas either! I don't know about the health benefits of them relative to ripe bananas.

I read a tip for speeding up ripening which I think seems to work:

Apples give off a gas which helps ripen bananas so mix green bananas and apples in a plastic bag and keep in a fairly warm place.

I've been trying it and I think it is working. Bananas which probably wouldn't have been ripe for 5 days seem to be ripe in 3. Ones that would have taken 3 days take 2. I suppose I should split a bunch of green bananas into two smaller bunches, only put one lot in with some apples and compare results after a few days.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
yello said:
Certainly less sugar, as I only found out earlier today! I don't know about potassium though. I'll let google be my friend.
Potassium is an element so it is either present or it isn't - ripening isn't going to mysteriously create or destroy it!
 

earth

Well-Known Member
ColinJ said:
I don't like green bananas either! I don't know about the health benefits of them relative to ripe bananas.

I read a tip for speeding up ripening which I think seems to work:

Apples give off a gas which helps ripen bananas so mix green bananas and apples in a plastic bag and keep in a fairly warm place.

I've been trying it and I think it is working. Bananas which probably wouldn't have been ripe for 5 days seem to be ripe in 3. Ones that would have taken 3 days take 2. I suppose I should split a bunch of green bananas into two smaller bunches, only put one lot in with some apples and compare results after a few days.


It's true, the gas is ethylene.

I don't think the potassium content will change though.
 

longers

Legendary Member
I thought the ethylene came from the bananas and was useful for ripening other fruit.

You need to get your lab coat on Colin and do the experiment.
 

yello

Guest
ColinJ said:
Potassium is an element so it is either present or it isn't

Eh? Can you explain that. The question concerned the level of potassium in bananas, not whether it contains it or not.

Bananas are an excellent food, good for all manner of ills, and a particularly good source of potassium - amongst other things.
 

bauldbairn

New Member
Location
Falkirk
bauldbairn said:
I think I've heard mentioned that there's more potassium and less sugar in the green ones???????:smile::wacko:
Some nutritionist chap/ess will put us right! :smile:
ColinJ said:
Potassium is an element so it is either present or it isn't - ripening isn't going to mysteriously create or destroy it!

:smile: I think I meant starch not potassium. :laugh:

ColinJ said:
I read a tip for speeding up ripening which I think seems to work:

Apples give off a gas which helps ripen bananas so mix green bananas and apples in a plastic bag and keep in a fairly warm place.

I've been trying it and I think it is working. Bananas which probably wouldn't have been ripe for 5 days seem to be ripe in 3. Ones that would have taken 3 days take 2. I suppose I should split a bunch of green bananas into two smaller bunches, only put one lot in with some apples and compare results after a few days.

I thought bananas gave off a gas that prematurely ripened other fruit - I always keep other fruit seperate?
I'm sure I recently watched a program where car exhaust gases quickened the ripening of bananas - not sure of the health benefits though.xx(
 

longers

Legendary Member
yello said:
Bananas are an excellent food, good for all manner of ills, and a particularly good source of potassium - amongst other things.

OT but dates apparently contain more potassium than nanas.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
ColinJ said:
Potassium is an element so it is either present or it isn't - ripening isn't going to mysteriously create or destroy it!
(Elements are only created or destroyed in nuclear reactions, not in chemical reactions such as ripening.)

yello said:
Eh? Can you explain that. The question concerned the level of potassium in bananas, not whether it contains it or not.
What I meant was that there is the same amount of potassium in a ripe banana as in the same banana before it ripened (unless some sort of gas containing potassium is given off during the ripening process).

The question wasn't just about the level of potassium since this remark...

bauldbairn said:
I think I've heard mentioned that there's more potassium and less sugar in the green ones???????:smile::wacko:
...implied that the potassium level might be changing as well as the sugar level.

And I interpreted what you said here...
yello said:
The starch turns to sugar as it ripens. I don't know about potassium though. I'll let google be my friend.
... as meaning that you didn't know either.

yello said:
Bananas are an excellent food, good for all manner of ills, and a particularly good source of potassium - amongst other things.
I agree that bananas are a good source of potassium and I eat one every day, but I prefer them to be ripe!
 
longers said:
OT but dates apparently contain more potassium than nanas.


Indeed. My wife, who is a dietician has pointed out to me in the past that bananas certainly have potassium, but are not particularly high in it. Bit of an urban myth I believe.

As for changing amounts of potassium, potassium levels can only change if it leeches out (or in). I'm pretty sure that doesn't happen.
 

yello

Guest
ColinJ said:
Elements are only created or destroyed in nuclear reactions, not in chemical reactions such as ripening.

That's what I wanted, something that expands on your first statement. Thanks!

What you're saying then is that there is a level of potassium in a banana but that that level neither increases nor decreases - since it can't. The process required for it to change can't occur as a natural consequence of ripening.

Initially, it read to me like your where implying that potassium was some ethereal type substance that was either present or not but could never actually be quantified or measured! Hence my confusion. :smile:
 

yello

Guest
magnatom said:
bananas certainly have potassium, but are not particularly high in it. Bit of an urban myth I believe.

Wow! Didn't know that! The t'interweb is full of authoritative looking pages talking of potassium rich bananas. Just goes to show, I guess, that one can always find find something to support a view.
 
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