Bananas are edible fruits that are crescent in shape and bright yellow when ripe. Mature bananas can be cooked while green. You can as well wait until the banana is fully ripened, normally yellow. You may have been worried about green spots in ripened bananas and probably you have questioned the safety of eating a green spotted banana.
Do not be worried, it is safe to eat black and brown spotted bananas. It is established that bananas produce ethylene gas which catalyzes the ripening process. Black spots arise from the induced ripening of bananas. Instead of allowing bananas to ripen naturally, they may be exposed to ethylene gas that speeds up their ripening. Induced ripening is often practiced in instances where bananas were sprayed with chemicals to delay ripening so that they can reach the market while fresh. Alternatively, bananas may be stored in a refrigerated container for transportation. Refrigeration slows down ripening. Upon reaching the market, bananas may take longer than expected to ripen and thus are subjected to a room concentrated with ethylene gas for speedy ripening. At times the banana may not ripe uniformly hence black or brown spots. High concentrations of ethylene can also lead to the over-ripening of bananas causing them to turn from yellow to black.
Bananas may also turn black or brown when dragged along rough surfaces leaving them bruised. The black spot left on bruised bananas does not make them harmful for consumption. Bruised bananas usually appear black outside and it may be hard identifying them when ripen. Do not fear eating a black spotted banana for they do not pose any threat to your health.
Why should we not throw away bananas with black/green spots?
Many people normally think of throwing away bananas with black and green spots. Possibly at one point you may have thrown away or thought of throwing away bananas that have green or black spots thinking they are not healthy to consume. That is not the case. Bananas with many black or green spots are sweeter and tastier than other bananas.
Black spots in bananas are indicators of higher contents of TNF(Tumor Necrosis Factor), an anticancer substance that kills abnormal cells in the body. The more black spots in the banana, the higher the content of TNF it contains. However unattractive the banana with many blackspots may look, it is safe and poses no harm to the body.
Ripen bananas with black spots have a higher content of magnesium which is a remedy for hypertension, lowers high blood pressure, ensures well functioning of the heart, and aids in digestion.
Role of banana rust thrips
Not all bananas with black or green spots are safe for consumption. Some are caused by virulent pests and insects. Thrips insects are known to destroy bananas by feeding on the soft green skin of small developing banana fruit. As the fruit grows, infected parts also grow to make the fruits appear dark. The injured parts are susceptible to attack by pathogenic fungi making the discolored fruit (red to dark brown) visible.
The insects infest banana fingers by feeding on the green surface causing discoloration on banana peels. In severe cases of thrip attack, the whole bunch of the fruit may be affected. Longitudinal cracks may happen on fruits attacked by thrips.
I would advise you to scrutinize the cause of black spots on bananas before you consume though most spots are harmless.