Bananas are popular worldwide for their taste and their nutritional value. They are rich in vitamins A, B and C, calcium, iron, potassium and phosphorus, and contain several types of antioxidants. To get the most out of them, though, timing matters.
A team from São Paulo State University in Brazil looked at how a banana’s nutritional value changes as it ripens, using the widely grown Nanica variety.
They found that flavonoid levels rise during ripening. So ripe and overripe bananas deliver more antioxidant benefit.
If minerals are what you’re after, pick bananas at ripening stage 4: yellow skin with just a little green left.
As for pigments, chlorophylls A and B, which make unripe bananas green, decreased. Carotenoids and anthocyanins increased; these pigments give ripe bananas their bright yellow and sometimes purplish tones.
The scientists see practical value in their work. Shoppers can choose stage 4 bananas to get more minerals, or ripe and overripe ones for more flavonoids.
