Science Investigatory Project
“INCREASING THE SHELF-LIFE OF BANANAS”
Remnel Cris C. Vicentina
IX- Shakespeare
Mrs. Taclas
HOW WILL THE FRESHNESS OF BANANA LAST LONGER?
The topic I have chosen is very important in terms of agriculture because it will help us most specially the banana dealers, exporters and importers to equip enough knowledge on how to prevent banana from early deterioration or over ripening only in a small period of time during the transportation.
A solution finally may be at hand for the number one consumer gripe about bananas: their tendency to ripen, soften and rot into an unappetizing mush, seemingly in the blink of an eye.
Like other fresh fruits like banana are alive and actually “breathing” or respiring. The more banana respire, the quicker it ripens. Unlike many other fruits, the respiration rate for the banana does not slowdown, and bananas do not ripen slowly. Once banana begin to mature, they quickly become yellow and soft, and then they rot. Bacteria on the banana skin start to thrive and cause the banana to rot.
So, how will the freshness of banana stay longer? There’s a “hydrogel”, made from chitosan, a substance derived from shrimp and crab shells that is a superabsorbent like those with many medical and commercial uses.
Based on a report, chitosan is attracting considerable attention in efforts to keep fruits and veggies fresher longer due to its action killing bacteria that cause produce to rot by spraying green bananas with chitosan aerogel, we can keep bananas fresh for up to 12 days.
This is the way to keep bananas green for a longer time to inhibit the rapid ripening that occurs. Aerogel chitosan coating could be used at home by consumers, in supermarkets or during the shipment of bananas.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
On the fourth day, the apple and pear were a little darker on the cut part, and the banana had become completely brown, inside and out. The strawberry and orange were the same as the day before. On day five, the strawberry flattened and white, fluffy, stringy mold overtook it. Its juice was inside the container. All the other fruits looked the same. The banana and strawberry did not change much on the sixth day, but the orange finally had a little bit of white mold growing on its peel. The pear and the apple were a little browner than before. At the end of the week, I found that the entire banana was black. The apple and pear skins browned a little, and everything else was the same. The answer to my original question is a banana rots the fastest out of the other fruits in a sealed container. My hypothesis was incorrect, because I predicted that the strawberry would decompose first, but it was actually the banana that did. If I were to complete this experiment again, I would not put the fruit in containers, so that they would be exposed to fresh air the whole time, like they are in a real…
- 498 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Acid " but it still doesn't work. Some people say the banana craze was started…
- 268 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
A close attention to the vertically integrated supply chain of producing bananas was essential because bananas are a perishable good. It required…
- 999 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The most obvious characteristics of a banana are its color and shape. However, one might find it more describable than yellow, long, curved, and cylindrical. Aside from its basic features, the banana had four ridges that ran down its length. Present was a stem that emerged from the yellow body, fading…
- 903 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Bibliography: Brooks, John. Bananas. New York Harper, 1999 Ashby, Eric, and Mary Anderson. The Production of Banana in the United States. New York Appleton 2010. Jacobs, Jane. The Rise of Banana Production. Agricultural Journal April 2008 p. 98-107. www.Wikipedia.org . Online Encyclopedia. May 2011. Counter Banana Refrigerator Banana Number of days it took for each banana to turn brown. Y, dXiJ(x(…
- 352 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Banana is a staple starch for many tropical populations.Depending upon cultivar and ripeness, the flesh can vary in taste from starchy to sweet, and texture from firm to mushy. Bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B6 and contain moderate amounts of vitamin C, manganese and dietary fiber.…
- 638 Words
- 3 Pages
Better Essays -
Aim: To investigate whether the ripening of bananas will speed up when placed with already ripe bananas in a brown paper bag.…
- 2272 Words
- 10 Pages
Good Essays -
Mar. 10, 2011 — To the surprisingly inventive uses for banana peels -- which include polishing silverware, leather shoes, and the leaves of house plants -- scientists have added purification of drinking water contaminated with potentially toxic metals. Their report, which concludes that minced banana peel performs better than an array of other purification materials, appears in ACS's journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.…
- 1406 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
The banana plant, or Musa acuminata, is one of the most important fruiting plants on Earth. This plant belongs to the Musaceae family, also known as the “banana family”. The genus Musa refers to “large herbaceous flowering plants” with fruit that is usually elongated and curved, with a yellow, purple, or red rind covering soft starchy fruit (Merriam-Webster). Banana plants are often mistaken for trees, because their “false stem” or pseudostem resembles a tree trunk. However, trees are dicots with organized vascular bundles while banana plants are monocots, which have scattered vascular bundles. The average cultivated banana plant stands at 16 feet tall, although they may range from 10 to 23 feet (Nelson 26). A mature banana plant forms an inflorescence at the top of the pseudostem, a structure known as the “banana heart”. Each banana heart usually develops bunches of banana fruits made up of tiers (called “hands”) with as many as 20 fruit to a tier. “Cultivated bananas are sterile and develop the typical seedless fruits without the need for pollination” (Van Wyk). Bananas are one of the most important fruits because of the role they play in the global economy, food security, and the everyday lives of people around the world.…
- 1466 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Thousands of dollars are spent to ripen bananas to the perfect point while transporting them so that they ripen, do not over ripen and remain edible when they reach the stores. Some people think that the temperature has an effect on the ripening of bananas. This experiment will be testing the effect of temperature on bananas. Bananas release gases such as ethylene and then use these gases to ripen themselves. When the ethylene concentration in an area is high, the ripening of a banana is quickened. However, how does temperature affect the release of ethylene gas and therefore the ripening of a banana is a worthy question to solve. In this experiment, we will test what effect temperature has on the ripening of bananas.…
- 884 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. It is one of the…
- 7384 Words
- 41 Pages
Good Essays -
In the third year, the banana will have matured and will be ready to face the world. They will demonstrate their newfound wholeness by leaping far and high. At this stage, they will be immune to the stress of seeing a kiwi.…
- 324 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Chitosan is a type of sugar which can be seen in the outer skeleton of shellfish. Examples are: crabs, lobsters and shrimps. One of the functions of chitosan is used to treat different kinds of diseases and sicknesses. Like, it is used to treat obesity, high cholesterol, and Crohn’s disease. It is also used to treat patients with: kidney failures, high cholesterol, anaemia, loss of strength and appetite, and ones who have insomnia. Another is plastic surgeons sometimes apply chitosan directly to places from which they have taken tissue from to be used elsewhere. Finally, in pharmaceutical manufacturing, chitosan is used as filler in tablets; as a carrier in controlled-release drugs; to improve the way certain drugs dissolve; and to mask bitter tastes in solutions taken by mouth.…
- 404 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The banana peel is known for its antifungal and antibiotic properties. The peel is also loaded with a lot of Vitamins, minerals and fiber Many articles and pamphlets say that banana peel is even effective in shining and smoothening surfaces like shoes made up of leather.…
- 3600 Words
- 16 Pages
Powerful Essays -
INTRODUCTIONChips are the most popular variety of snacks and they are consumed round the year by people of all age groups from all income segments. Potato chips are more popular than banana chips but banana chips have a special category of consumers and they are preferred by many. Competition is not as fierce as in case of potato chips. There are some national as well as regional established competitors for potato chips but they are not in banana chips as the market is small. This provides an ample opportunity to a new entrant as the market is not dominated by some brands and with good quality and competitive pricing, it is possible to capture adequate market share.…
- 1967 Words
- 8 Pages
Good Essays