Remember the old saying that "One bad apple spoils the bunch?" As it turns out, that's true — apples make other fruit ripen faster, which is why they shouldn't be stored together.
Here’s why this happens, as well as the smartest way to store your fruit.
Ethylene Gas and Fruit Ripening
Apples and bananas produce large amounts of ethylene gas. As these fruits reach maturity, the level of this gaseous plant hormone increases, interacting with other hormones and signaling them to ripen the fruit. All fruits release ethylene gas in varying amounts, and some fruits and vegetables are more sensitive to ethylene than others. On top of that, some plants are sprayed with the hormone before harvesting to accelerate ripening.
Which Fruits (and Veggies) Should You Keep Separate?
These fruits release high amounts of ethylene and are sensitive to ethylene release:
Apples
Pears
Bananas
Mangoes
Plums
Nectarines
Honeydew melons
Avocados
Cantaloupe
Also, beware that ethylene-producing fruits may cause premature ripening in vegetables, too. Store them away from these ethylene-sensitive veggies and legumes:
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Chili peppers
Cucumbers
Leeks
Kale
Beans
Potatoes
Mushrooms
Sweet peas
Not all fruits and vegetables are sensitive to ethylene. Cherries, pineapples, garlic, grapefruit, and blueberries can be safely stored together or next to produce that produces this gas.
How to Organize Your Produce
Overripe, ethyl-producing fruit is your produce haul’s worst enemy. Take care to remove it from the rest of the bunch as soon as possible and regularly check your fruit for any signs of spoilage, such as foul odors, mold, mushy spots, and changes in color and appearance.
The trick to preserving your remaining produce is to separate it strategically. For example, put apples and bananas in a different bowl and refrigerate the apples. Storing ethylene-producing fruits in bags and sealed containers traps the gas and speeds up ripening.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's diagram of a walk-in refrigerator models the best placement for fruits and vegetables. While it takes some strategizing to implement this distance in a regular-sized fridge, the visual is helpful for seeing which produce pairs best together.
Refrigerate With Caution
Refrigerating produce at the proper temperature maintains freshness and quality, but the optimal storage temperature varies depending on the fruit. While you can certainly find specific temperature recommendations, here are a few general rules for refrigerating produce:
Keep tropical fruits like bananas and avocados at room temperature until ripe to avoid chilling injury, which can show up as discoloration, surface pitting, wet-looking areas, or failure to ripen.
Store temperate fruits like berries and apples in your fridge from the start.
Keep your fridge below 42 degrees F.
The Takeaway
Some fruits, including apples, bananas, and mangoes, release ethylene gas, which makes other produce ripen faster and spoil quicker. Store these away from other fruits and vegetables.
Other fruits and veggies, including avocados, grapes, and watermelon, are highly sensitive to ethylene. Keep them far from ethylene-producing fruits to extend their freshness.
Storing ethylene-producing fruits in sealed bags or containers will trap the gas, accelerating ripening even more.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Lynn Grieger is a registered dietitian-nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, certified personal trainer, and certified health and wellness coach. She completed requirements to become a registered dietitian at Valparaiso University in 1987 and completed a dietetic internship at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, Illinois, in 1988.
Lynn brings her expertise in nutrition, exercise, and behavior change to her work in helping people reach their individual health and fitness goals. In addition to writing for Everyday Health, she has also written for websites and publications like Food and Health Communications, Today's Dietitian, iVillage.com, and Rodale Press.She has a passion for healthy, nutrient-dense, great-tasting food and for being outdoors as much as possible — she can often be found running or hiking, and has completed a marathon in every state.
