Dec. IS, 1914 Changes in Composition of Ripening Bananas 



193 



THIRD EXPERIMENT 



It now seemed well to observe the composition of the banana of com- 

 merce repeatedly at several stages during its ripening, in order to de- 

 termine the uniformity of the changes which occur in bananas from 

 different bunches. Four bunches of bananas were ripened in a specially 

 constructed humidity chamber and each bunch was sampled three times 

 during its ripening. This experiment demonstrated that the changes 

 in ripening in the four bunches were remarkably uniform, while the data 

 secured in the first two experiments were repeatedly confirmed. In 

 addition, the study gives a good idea of the composition of bananas 

 when just ripe enough to be edible and also when very ripe. 



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FiC. I. — Constant-lemperature humidor. 



The detailed account of the experiment is as follows: 

 The humidity chamber (fig. i) consisted of a large case, of cold-storage 

 construction, divided by an insulated wall into two compartments, A 

 and B. Compartment A was so arranged that it could be kept at con- 

 stant temperature and humidity at temperatures below that of the 

 room. Ice was placed in compartment B. In A the air was circulated 

 continuously by an electric fan. The course of the air current was as 

 follows: From the fan it was deflected by the baffle C to play upon the 

 surface of water in the tank D. The water was here kept at constant 

 level by a device not shown and was warmed by an electrically heated 

 immersion heating coil, also not shown. The air then passed up through 

 the vertical cooling coil H. The air, moisture laden and cooled, was 

 then delivered through holes in the false ceiling E to the rest of the 

 compartment, whence it was drawn back to the fan through holes in the 

 false bottom F. Detached bananas or other objects were placed on the 

 false bottom F or on the slatted shelf G. When bunches of bananas 

 were being ripened, shelf G was removed and the fruit was suspended 

 from hooks in the false ceiling. 



