Ripening of Organic Bananas (Yina Yang)

Research Question and Hypothesis

How does coloration differ in the ripening of organic versus non-organic bananas?

The coloration of the organic bananas will indicate that the bananas will ripen slower compared to non-organic bananas due to the synthetic ethylene gas sprayed on to the non-organic bananas for faster ripening.

Standards

Experimental Design

Observe the color changes (ripening) of the organic bananas in a paper bag versus non-organic bananas in a paper bag. Compare the ripening of the organic bananas to the non-organic bananas over time.

Independent variable

The independent variable in this study is time. The bananas will be observed each day.

Dependent variables

The dependent variable in this study is the coloration of the bananas. The color of the bananas will be measured using the colour detector app capturing the red, green, and blue colors. The codes collected from the colour detector will be decoded using the RGB chart.

Series

The series in this study is the different location of the organic bananas. One set will be stored in paper bag and the other will be set in open air.

Constants and Controls

The constant factors are the temperature, number of bananas, and storage location. The control in this experiment is the non-organic bananas that most people purchase.

Materials

2 sets of Dole brand organic bananas
1 set of Dole brand non organic bananas
2 paper bags
Colour Detector app
RBG Color Code Chart

Procedures

Purchase three sets of similar green coloration of bananas (2-sets of organic and of 1-set non-organic).
Use the Colour Detector app to take a picture of each set of bananas to determine the Red, Green, and Blue color code
Wrap the stem of each set of bananas with plastic food wraps.
Place a set of organic bananas into a paper bag.
Place the non-organic bananas into another paper bag.
Store the second set of organic bananas in an open space.
Observe the color changes of the bananas.
Analyze the average color change by using the RBG Color Code Chart

Sample data and graphs

Raw Data Collection

HS-LS2-7. Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of human activities can include urbanization, building dams, and dissemination of invasive species.]

Ripening of Organic Bananas Data

Analysis & Conclusions

Based on this Dole banana color guide (left), the investigation began with both bananas in between the second and third stage. After 6 days of watching the color change in both organic and non-organic bananas, the non-organic bananas started to have a shade of freezer burn-like coloration near the stem of the bananas (right). This coloration change could have been due to the synthetic ethylene treatment affecting the unnatural ripening of the bananas. Also, comparing the non-organic bananas to the organic bananas, the stem of the non-organic bananas do not look like the bananas have ripen although the coloration of the actual banana is yellow. The stem still has a shade of green compared to that of the darkened ring around the stem of the organic bananas.

My initial guess was that the non-organic bananas were going to ripe fastest due to the synthetic spray of ethylene. However, my guess was incorrect. Based on the coloration of the organic bananas, there was a more even coloration change throughout the bananas compared to the non-organic bananas indicating that the organic bananas had a faster ripening (right image). Because bananas is such a popular commodity around the world, the non-organic bananas had to be picked a lot earlier compared to that of the organic bananas to be sprayed with ethylene. Although the spraying of the ethylene increases the ripening of the bananas, there may have been an uneven spray of ethylene in addition to the natural gas produced by bananas. Organic bananas were allowed more time on the tree for more natural ripening prior to picking. In addition to its natural release of ethylene, the organic bananas had a more evenly coated coloration through its ripening process.

Photos & Movies