When you bite into a banana, it shouldn’t hurt. But sometimes someone takes a bite and feels something completely different — crunch. That crunchy banana inside is neither pleasant nor expected. It’s actually a fairly common problem, and it’s usually thanks to something called black center syndrome, or internal vascular browning.
This occurs when the central core of the banana, the part where the vascular tissue is, dies, or begins to degrade. When it dries, it becomes dark and dry, with some chew having a crunch. The outside of the banana may appear perfectly fine but the inside tells a different story, sometimes revealing a crunchy banana inside.
How to store bananas so they last longer Cold storage: The one thing that can ruin a banana is low temperatures. Chilling below 13°C (55°F) causes the cells inside to break down, turn dark and dry out, leading to a crunchy banana inside.
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