Determining the Effect of Temperature and Airflow on Ripening of Bananas

Abstract

Bananas are a climacteric fruit, which means it is green when harvested and its ripening is initiated by the surrounding climate. In particular, the ripening is mainly controlled by temperature, the gaseous environment around the fruit and the atmospheric pressure. The aim of our project was to evaluate which areas of varying temperatures and airflow conditions in our homes will induce the slowest ripening in order to find the best storage spot. We placed three bananas in each of the six different storage spots ranging from 4ºC to 22ºC with varying airflow conditions and recorded the percent cover of brownness twice daily for 12 days. Analysis was performed on our data using a two-way ANOVA test and the results showed the difference was statistically significant (F(5,24) =11, p < 0.0001). This states that the percent cover of brownness differs between the groups. However, the ANOVA test showed no significant difference in percent cover of brownness between the two times of measurements (p = 0.8037). A post-hoc test, Tukey's multiple comparisons test, was used to determine the specific six groups that differed. Areas of warmer temperatures and abundant amounts of airflow had the highest percent cover of brownness and increased ripeness in comparison to the colder and restricted airflow areas as we predicted, except for the bananas in the refrigerator. The best storage area for preserving bananas in our homes was found to be the garage.