Expert Reveals A Simple Trick to Make Bananas Last Longer and Stop Them From Turning Brown

While a pudgy, crescent-shaped banana sits stationary in the fruit basket, there’s a whole lot of chemistry working behind the scenes. Constantly blasted by the oxygen molecules in the air, the velveteen yellow peel of the banana starts turning brownish, sometimes within just a night. The browner the peel becomes, the soft, stiff pulp cloaked inside the peel starts to become mushier and slushier. It becomes difficult to snack on this banana raw, which is why it is often tossed into smoothies, pies, and puddings where its hardened texture won’t be needed. But this doesn’t imply that these juicy bananas can never be eaten in their raw form.

Armen Adamjan (@creative_explained), the internet’s favorite life hack guru, shared a hack that homemakers can use to make these bananas last longer and prevent them from turning brown too fast. Contrary to the common notion, the browning color of bananas is not a sign of spoilage but rather ripening, according to Masterclass. "Bananas contain the enzyme polyphenol oxidase, and when the enzyme interacts with oxygen, it causes a chemical reaction. This chemical reaction, known as enzymatic browning, changes the banana’s peel and fruit to brown," the website explains.

Adamjan, who boasts over 9 million followers on Instagram and more than 60 million on TikTok, explains how to prevent these fruits from ripening too soon. "Next time you get bananas, do this to keep them from ripening too fast," he said in the video. Featuring alongside Craig David, Adamjan explained in his usual playful tone, “Did you know that if you grab a glass, fill it up with water, then grab some bananas, what you want to do is, put the top of the bananas into the water.” With this, they dipped the bananas into the glass full of water. “In nature, what happens is that water travels from the tree into the bananas, keeping them fresh. It’s that simple,” the duo explained.

Previously, Adamjan has shared many similar hacks that can prolong the lives of bananas. For instance, wrapping paper towels and foil around the bananas can also make them last longer, he explained in a video. In a more recent video where he shared a rap-style video on how to store fruits and veggies the right way, he explained how wrapping the stem of bananas in paper towels helps them stay yellow for 10 days and wrapping tinfoil over the fruits makes them better. “Isn’t that clever?” he asked the viewers.

According to the Express, Adamjan also recommends using cling film to protect these fruits. “Separate all the bananas and then wrap each banana stem with plastic wrap. Doing this slows down the ethylene production and keeps your bananas fresh for seven days," he said as per the outlet. “Love bananas? Wrap them in a plastic wrap and give them their own little spot,” Adamjan said in another video. If, however, you would like to speed up the ripening of your bananas, Adamjan recommended tossing them inside the oven. “If for whatever reason you actually need them to be ripe, just throw them in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees,” said Adamjan, who is a viral internet sensation best known for his cleaning, homemaking, and grocery tips.

You can follow Armen Adamjan (@creative_explained) on TikTok for amazing life hacks.