The Scientific Reason Overripe Bananas Contain Alcohol - Tasting Table (2024)

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The Scientific Reason Overripe Bananas Contain Alcohol - Tasting Table? ›

The natural version of this process is known as ethanol fermentation, using the fructose, sucrose, and glucose sugars present in bananas, according to Home Kitchen Talk. They also contain yeast, which adds to spontaneous fermentation the more they ripen, resulting in about 0.2% alcohol by volume (ABV), per Abbeycare.

Interestingly, ripe bananas have up to 0.2% ABV. As fruit start to age, especially bananas, they slowly begin to ferment. This process also creates ethanol, resulting in very low levels of alcohol. The riper the banana gets, the higher the alcohol rises.

Rotten bananas will often have a fermented or alcohol-like smell. While it's okay if the banana peel is dark brown or even black, if the inside is too, then the fruit is beyond ripe and now on its way to rotten. Another sign that bananas have gone bad is if they start leaking any fluids.

Bananas. For example, a ripe banana will yield an ABV of 0.2%, while a very ripe banana has an ABV value of 0.4% [13].

Pulp of ripe palm fruits contained ethanol at concentrations averaging 0.6–0.9%, whereas that of over-ripe fruit averaged 4.5% (Table 1). The highest value obtained for pulp of an individual (over-ripe) fruit was 8.1%.

If a banana smells rotten or fermented or is leaking fluid, it's time to say goodbye. If the fruit inside, not just the peel, is black, that's a sign that your banana is too far gone to safely eat.

If the bananas have any visible signs of mold, throw them out. If they smell off, that's another good indicator that they are no longer okay to use. Rotten bananas will often have a fermented or alcohol-like smell.

Fermentation — when bacteria or yeast breaks down carbohydrates into sugars which turns into an acid or alcohol — is how alcohol ends up in these items. For example, a banana ferments when airborne yeast reacts with the sugar content of the fruit, which causes it to ferment into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Oh, and as for the banana thing… a low ABV of 0.5% (found in both ripe bananas and a glass of orange juice) won't actually be able to get you inebriated, no matter how much you consume. Your body will simply process it faster than you can feel; so no, there isn't exactly alcohol in your 'alcohol-free' beverages.

Ethanol yields from normal ripe bananas were: whole fruit—0.091, pulp—0.082, and peel—0.006 l/kg of whole fruit. Ripeness effects on ethanol yield were measured as green—0.090, normal ripe—0.082, and overripe—0.069 l/kg of green whole bananas. Enzymatic hydrolysis was necessary for maximum yields.

Why does my banana smell like alcohol? ›

An overripe banana that is not fit for consumption raw or cooked will be totally brown or have black bruises and will smell fermented or like alcohol or will have an undertone of garbage. Overripe bananas will often seep fluid.

This study provided transcriptome evidence that increased starch catabolism during fruit ripening may function as a substrate to promote ethanol fermentation, which induces an alcoholic off-flavor.

Many lemonades, ginger beers, kombuchas, fruit juices and even vinegar, bananas, bread and other foodstuffs contain up to 0.5% alcohol by volume (alc./vol.). However, there is no requirement to declare this alcohol content on the label as they are categorised as 'soft drinks' or 'foods'.

Expired fruit may taste like alcohol because of the fermentation process that occurs when the fruit is left to sit for too long. As the sugar in the fruit breaks down, it produces alcohol and other compounds that can give the fruit a taste similar to alcohol.

Isoamyl acetate is an ester, a functional designation of organic compounds and a byproduct of yeasts, known to “afford a fruity character to beer.” This particular ester is often found in fruits such as bananas and pears.

Nigrospora squirter disease resides on banana debris, requires moisture, and sporulates after rainfall or after tree irrigation, and during the transportation and ripening, the disease develops further [7].

As a banana ripens, it produces more of a compound called isoamyl acetate, which gives it a stronger smell and taste. Some people find that bananas taste too sweet or even unpleasant when they are overripe.