Chemical Treatment Helps Extend Shelf Life of Bananas

A chemical that occurs naturally in egg yolks and soya beans could help significantly extend the shelf life of bananas, according to a recent study.

Horticulturalists Jiwan Palta of the University of Wisconsin and Zienab Ahmed of South Valley University in Egypt applied a phospholipid called LPE to bananas following their harvest.

The study, published in the journal HortScience, found that bananas treated with LPE were firmer and thicker after five days at room temperature than untreated bananas and that the fruits' shelf life could be increased by one to two days.

Longer shelf lives could dramatically impact bananas' market value; the fruits currently last only one to three days after going on sale before being deemed "unsuitable."

The treated fruit also showed delayed starch breakdowns and slower development of brown spots on their peels. Palta and Ahmed speculated that LPE helps maintain membrane integrity, reduce respiration and slow the breakdown of the fruits' starch and cell walls.

The study is only the latest laboratory example of the positive effects of LPE on fruits' aging and shelf life, the researchers said.