Ripening Fruit

Ripening is the process in which fruit changes from firm and sour to soft and sweet. During ripening, starches turn into sugars, the flesh softens and the colour often changes. Some fruits, like bananas, keep ripening after they are picked.

Fruit gives off a gas called ethylene as it ripens. If you put a ripe banana in a bag with unripe fruit, the gas can help the other fruit ripen faster. Keeping fruit in a cool place can slow ripening down.