Bananas

Bananas are the fruit of large tropical Musa plants. Wild types are seeded and inedible, while the edible cultivars are seedless sterile hybrids, a good source of carbohydrates and vitamin A precursors. Yellow dessert bananas, relatively high in sugar, are eaten fresh, whereas starchier plantains (green bananas) cook like a vegetable — fried, boiled or roasted. Food manufacturers also put bananas to wide use — in fruit purees, fruit juices and bakery products. As one of the world’s most traded fruits, dominated by the Cavendish cultivar, the industry depends on careful green harvesting, ethylene ripening, and cold-chain logistics to deliver perfect fruit.