The Colorful Fruit Mix ... May Not Be So Sweet In The End

DETROIT (WWJ) - Putting some peaches, apples and bananas in a bowl on the counter looks appealing, but could that pleasing display lead to rotten fruit?

It turns out one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch reports WWJ health reporter Dr. Deanna Lites.

Some fruits like apples, nectarines and bananas produce a gas called ethylene as they ripen while other fruits like Kiwis are sensitive to the gas.

So when you mix them ...

"You end up -- sort of speeding up the ripening process," says Henry Ford Hospital registered dietitian Bethanny Thayer.

Thayer says knowing about ethelyne can help extend the life of your fruit.

"As pretty as it looks," she says, "to have a colorful fruit bowl - you do actually want to think about how you are mixing those gas producing and gas sensitive fruits and vegetables."

Gardeningknowhow says ethylene gas can be either a good guy when used to hasten ripening of fruit, or a bad guy when it yellows vegetables, damages buds or causes abscission in ornamental specimens.

You can do this at home by putting fruit or vegetables inside a paper bag, like a tomato. This will concentrate the ethylene gas inside the bag, allowing the fruit to ripen more quickly. Don't use a plastic bag, that'll will trap moisture and may backfire on you, causing the fruit to rot the online site notes.