Why is there an apple in a bag with unripe fruits and vegetables? Myths and reality
Apple is a tasty and very healthy fruit; it is even used for medicinal purposes. Another feature of the fruit is the ability of the picked fruit to evaporate ethylene along with water. It is the formation of this gas that makes apples an accelerator of ripening. In order for unripe vegetables and fruits to arrive, a round fruit is placed in the same bag with them.
How it works
Ethylene causes tannins, which are abundant in unripe fruits and berries, to disintegrate. Starch is converted from neutral-tasting starch into fruit sugars.
How to take advantage of the apple's ability to accelerate ripening
Often, not being able to harvest every day, berries, fruits, and vegetables that are not fully ripe are brought from the dacha. Or early frosts do not allow the harvest to ripen. In this case, the apple is simply a panacea.
Interesting fact
It is ethylene that, for example, is used to treat bananas after transportation from their growing areas. After all, a fully ripe fruit will not survive a long journey.
How to use apple ethylene correctly:
- The magazine purity-en.htgetrid.com recommends carefully inspecting unripe fruits, removing rotten, damaged or broken ones.
- There is no need to wash fruits: excess moisture will only provoke mold. If you do wash them, you need to wipe the fruits dry and let them lie on a towel so that the drops completely evaporate.
- Prepared fruits are sent into bags.If the container is made of polyethylene, holes must be made or left in it so that excess moisture evaporates and oxygen seeps inside. If it is made of paper, such manipulations are unnecessary.
- Next, you need to put an apple in each bag, tie it up and leave it in a dark place at room temperature to ripen.
How long to keep fruit this way depends on how unripe it is. You need to check the packages regularly and, when the fruits are ripe, immediately put them in the refrigerator, for example, in the fresh zone.
Important
Apples absorb odors very quickly. Therefore, you should not eat fruits after using them as a catalyst.
When can an apple cause harm?
In addition to apples, the following have the ability to accelerate ripening:
- figs,
- apricots,
- pears,
- melons,
- tomatoes.
Accordingly, it is not advisable to store the listed products with apples.
An apple will harm fully ripe fruits: they will become overripe and begin to rot. Therefore, apples must be kept separate from them.
Apples act on each other in the same way as on other fruits. Therefore, it is important to follow the rules for long-term storage:
- Select only whole, firm fruits.
- Pack each apple in a paper bag or sprinkle the apples with wood shavings.
- Keep everything in a cool, dark place.
Ethylene does not affect the following fruits:
- orange,
- lemon,
- mandarin,
- pomegranate,
- grape
- cherry.
Interesting fact
An apple placed in a container with potatoes will not only help preserve its beneficial properties longer, but will also prevent sprouts from appearing.
Proper use of the apple’s ability to produce the natural “ripening catalyst” ethylene will improve the taste of unripe fruits, but it does not work in all cases.