Nutritionist reveals what the pesky strings on a banana actually do – and why you might want to eat them next time
Bananas are a delicious, compact and healthy snack packed with vitamins and antioxidants and rich in potassium.
But many aficionados of the fruit, which the NHS says is one of your five a day, may be put off by the ‘stringy bits’ of flesh that are revealed when you peel one.
There are even rumors that these nasty additives are harmful to your health, but one expert has dispelled such myths by insisting that they are actually packed with goodness.
Admittedly distasteful, the clumsy, dangling string is known as a phloem bundle, Healthy way explains — and the next time you peel a banana, you might want to consider eating it.
Nicholas D. Gillitt, vice president of nutritional research and director of the Dole Nutrition Institute in North Carolina, has revealed how the “stringy bits” of a banana function inside the fruit.
The flat strings between the skin and pulp are known as phloem bundles and contain added nutrients (stock image)
He told the Huffington Post, “While we haven’t specifically tested phloem bundles, it is likely that there is a difference in nutritional value. They probably contain more and more varied types of fibers and structural components necessary for their function’.
Mr. Gillitt explained further ‘phloem’ refers to the tissue type, which acts as the plant’s vascular system.
The complex tissue distributes the nutrients throughout the banana, further enhancing the nutritional value, not to mention the tasty goodness.
However, you need to ingest a gigantic amount before you get any significant benefits.
The expert added that the nutrition in the bundles without the banana is of such a small amount that it is not expected to have a major impact on the overall nutritional value of the fruit. But on the other hand, it’s not bad for you either.
He explains: ‘As part of the banana of course (they are safe)! Whether they are tasty is another question. In general, all parts of fruits are healthy – including the phloem bundles – if we find them tasty. But there is no evidence that they are harmful.’
The banana is packed with nutrients and is a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamin B6 and antioxidants (stock image)
However, not all banana lovers are convinced, as most people tend to take them out of the fruit and throw them in the compost bin.
And for those of us who can’t stand the stringy bits, there’s good news – new hybrid bananas are being bred in some places that contain no phloem at all.
Elsewhere, a kitchen expert has revealed the best way to store your bananas so they stay yellow longer.
Mike from Kitchen Tips Online experimented with two bunches of bananas to see which set would ripen faster.
He placed one bunch on his counter and the others in an airtight container, before leaving them on the counter as well. He placed an ethylene absorption ball in the container.
The ball extends the shelf life of fruit and vegetables by removing the gases through an oxidation process, keeping the products fresh for longer.
However, Mike admitted that almost a week passed before he noticed a ‘significant’ difference between the bunches.
He found that the bananas on the counter were “significantly softer than those in the container.”
And on day 15 there was still ‘a little bit of green’ on the bananas in the airtight packaging.
But when he sliced open the bananas from the airtight container, he noticed there was a “little bruise” on the fruit – but it was “still edible.”