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After a second washing, the bananas are checked for a final time, labeled, and then carefully packed in a box, which will protect the green fruit during its shipment to your supermarket. Each box holds approximately 40 pounds of bananas. |
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Approximately 970 boxes are then loaded into refrigerated containers, which keep the fruit at a controlled temperature during its voyage from the tropics to the United States. Keeping the bananas at a temperature of about 57 degrees Fahrenheit will keep the bananas from ripening. |
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From Central America, the ships take only 2-3 days to reach gulf coast ports and 3-4 days to reach east coast ports. From Ecuador, it takes 7-8 days to reach west coast ports. |
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At the port, containers are loaded onto trucks that deliver the bananas to ripening centers around the country. |
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In special ripening rooms, the bananas are ripened before they are delivered to your local grocery store. The bananas are ripened with ethylene gas, a natural substance that speeds up the conversion of starch to sugar and changes the peel's color from green to yellow. |
