Richard

Do you have or know where to find Brix and pH data for fresh-eaten bananas? If so, thanks in advance!

Do you have a Brix+pH meter ... even better! Please take a measurement or two next time some of your naners ripen and post the banana variety name and results. If you don't have a meter and would like to borrow one, please don't be afraid to ask!

Thinking of purchasing a meter? The newer digital models that provide Brix, pH and a few other details all at once from a small sample are the way to go.

Are you wondering what Brix and pH are? In the fruit tasting and distribution world, Brix measures the sweetness of a food. The pH will also tell you if the food is sour (pH less than 7) or alkaline/salty (pH greater than 7). Some examples:
* A food that is moderately high in sweetness (Brix ~ 16) and has some flavor to it (pH slightly above or below 7) is often considered a good tasting food.
* A food such as acidless citrus that is very high in sweetness (Brix ~ 20+) and otherwise bland (pH = 7) is what adults refer to as insipidly sweet.

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momoese

I have a regular PH meter and some ripe fruits. I'll give them a test and see what it says.

As for insipidly sweet, Red Jamaican's come to mind. Zero acid and a super sweet perfume fragrance and taste, but still delicious. It did take some time for me to acquire a taste for them though.

bencelest

I am new to this.
Can you apply this also on some other fruits such as citrus and plums?
If I want a citrus that is very sweet, where can you find their Brix score? What magazine or brochure?

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High_Brix

WOW!! My kind of thread!! I'll try to find the brix chart and post it. (if I can find it)

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Richard

Benny, I have seen brix scores reported in publications from the late 1800's so it is a well-established method of rating sweetness on fruits and foods in general.

When my father and his siblings were kids in the 1920's, they would go out into the citrus groves with their uncle and take brix "scores" from ripening fruit to determine if it was ready for picking. The packing houses did the same on incoming fruit of all types to determine the worthiness of the crop they were about to purchase (or refuse to purchase). Avocado packing houses measure Brix, pH, oil content (percent), and size to determine pricing.

As you are probably aware, many fruits are picked unripe these days and then (depending on the fruit) ripened later either before shipping or after they near their destination. Consequently, the packing house is looking for Brix and other values in the unripe fruit that are known to be transformed into a viable fruit in the ripening process. So nowadays, the Brix+pH values a farmer is looking for in their crop is often far from what you and I would enjoy in a fresh fruit.

Not to worry, Brix and other scores are also tabulated for "ripe" fruit -- both for tree or "natural" ripening and "commercial" ripening. You'll find them scattered around in CRFG publications, Agricultural reports from UC Davis, etc. Note that some fruits like Mango are at their worst when tree ripened, instead they are picked green and ripened in a box on a shelf for a few weeks.

I have only found Brix+pH for a few banana cultivars so far, but it sounds like High_Brix and possibly others are going to clue us in!

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NanaNut2

Richard,
Here are pages with Brix charts. Bananas are included. Also one ph chart. Is this what you were looking for?

Brix equals quality, an online book that explores fruit and vegetable quality as well as insect or disease resistance
Brix Values Of Fruit
pH in food Theory

NanaNut2

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High_Brix

NanaNut, Thanks for posting the chart! Good info.

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NanaNut2

You're most welcome High Brix. When I was growing fruits and veggies many years ago, I used the look, feel, smell, taste method. I knew there was a better way. Thank you Richard for asking the question.
NanaNut2

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Richard

Uhm, well that's a start!

What I'm looking for are measurements from specific banana cultivars. I have these:

Name, Brix, pH
1000 Fingers, 15, 6.0
Gold Finger, 15, 6.0
Jamacian Red, 18, 7.0
Monkey Fingers, ?, 4.5
Pitogo, 15, ?

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Richard

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