Black Bananas=Death?

Today after working out my friend gave me a banana, she said, "Hey sorry its turning black I don't know if you still want it."
Me: "why is it bad?"
Friend: "nooo not really, I don't know if it’s getting rancid but my mom always use to say when its black it means more potassium."

Wow I can't believe in my 23 years of existence I never knew the answer to why bananas turn black or if turning black made them bad to eat. My mom use to take the mushy brown part off and give us the rest, why? Was there some secret human primitive DNA sequence that told her to take precaution? Was there any reason for it? And do black bananas really contain more potassium? I was bombarded with questions and searched to find out.

What I learned was that bananas help prevent high blood pressure and osteoporosis because of the amount of potassium and low sodium (1mg) in the fruit. Potassium is an electrolyte and can replenish your body (wish I knew this after my Machete Madness night). Bananas are also a good source of fiber which also benefit heart and prevents it from heart disease. But the magical power of bananas doesn’t end with the heart and bones, it has also been linked to helping the stomach with ulcers and ulcer damage. HOW you say, well according to the World’s Healthiest Foods website by thickening the mucus lining in the stomach and by eliminating the bacteria that grows in the stomach. Who would have known that the protease inhibitors a component of bananas (protease blocking enzyme) is found in many antiviral and antibiotics to fight infection. (side note: protease inhibitors are currently used for HIV treatments, since its use in HIV medications the death rate has dropped 70%)

So why do the skin of banana’s turn black? This is a result of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, also called tyrosinase which reacts to oxygen. How boring, the reason why a banana turns black is exactly like what happens to an apple, oxidation, I learned this in elementary. What I also came across was that the skin of bananas contain a gaseous hormone ethylene, ethylene doesn’t stop working and continues even if the ripening process is stopped like placing a banana in the fridge. This explains why bananas only grow in subtropical hot climates and not in cold climates like Washington.

Of course the best time to eat a banana is when its ripen (yellow), this is when the fruit contains the most beneficial vitamins and antioxidants. So my friend’s mom was probably just manipulating her to eat a black banana. BUT, eating a brown/black banana is not harmful at all, in fact there are some fun recipes that put good use to brown bananas. It’s all a matter of getting use to the idea that brown doesn’t always mean bad. So the next time a banana is looking black, hurry up and makes yourself banana pancakes or a banana smoothie and enjoy the benefits of this healthy fruit.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=7
http://www.ifood.tv/blog/why-do-bananas-turn-brown