A method for storing respiring produce, particularly bananas, during
ripening is disclosed. The method allows bananas to remain in the ripened condition for an extended period of time while, at the same time, having improved
sweetness and taste characteristics. In addition, the method does not require separate handling and
repackaging of the bananas between the starting of the
ripening process and storage / shipment of the bananas. In this method,
ripening is initiated by inserting additional gas into the banana
package, such that the gas medium comprises from about 2.0% to about 5.0%
oxygen, from about 5.0% to about 15.0%
carbon dioxide, from about 0.8% to about 1.5%
ethylene, the remainder of the gas medium being predominantly
nitrogen, for a period of from about 0.5 to about 5 seconds. The composition of the gas medium in the
package is then adjusted such that the gas medium has a ratio of
oxygen to
carbon dioxide which meets the following conditions: (20.94−B) / C=from about 1.8 to about 3.8; wherein B is the percentage of
oxygen in the gas medium, C is the percentage of
carbon dioxide in the gas medium, and, further, wherein the percentage of oxygen in the gas medium is from about 1.0 to about 6.0, and the percentage of carbon dioxide in the gas medium is from about 3.0 to about 10.0.