They’ll be gone in 10-15 years? The current popular version anyway. A fungi is destroying them.
It happened before back in the fifties with the last version. Except there’s nothing really close this time. The other types of bananas aren’t close at all
That old version “Gros Michel” is what artificial banana flavour is based on. Bananas used to taste like that. The newer “Cavendish” variety is firmer and lasts longer, but doesn’t have the same flavour. It seems like both are being wiped out by disease though, yay monoculture.
Cavendish seem to be especially vulnerable because they’re all clones. They don’t produce viable seeds, so they’re grafted to new plants.
Well. Artificial flavoring is typically identifying 1 or 2 compounds that occur within a fruit, whereas the fruit has dozens of these compounds. Imagine what artificial apple flavoring is to green apples - that’s what Runts is to the Gros banana.
You can still get the Gros in some places but it’s not grown at scale, has to be isolated.
i heard an old man mysteriously whisper “enjoy your bananas while they still exist, young person” to me at the supermarket a while ago and i didn’t know what they were talking about but they sounded very serious so i didn’t doubt them.
They’ll be gone in 10-15 years? The current popular version anyway. A fungi is destroying them.
It happened before back in the fifties with the last version. Except there’s nothing really close this time. The other types of bananas aren’t close at all
That old version “Gros Michel” is what artificial banana flavour is based on. Bananas used to taste like that. The newer “Cavendish” variety is firmer and lasts longer, but doesn’t have the same flavour. It seems like both are being wiped out by disease though, yay monoculture.
Cavendish seem to be especially vulnerable because they’re all clones. They don’t produce viable seeds, so they’re grafted to new plants.
Might’ve gone on a search bout baanas last night. I now prefer goldenfinger, a type AA cultivar I have never seen in my entire life.
There is already a gene modified cavendish that is resistant to the fungi, but it’s not legal in the EU so it’s not being used yet
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Its been working ok with apples
I misunderstood.
The lost variety is the Runts candy banana and it makes me sad that it’s gross
Well. Artificial flavoring is typically identifying 1 or 2 compounds that occur within a fruit, whereas the fruit has dozens of these compounds. Imagine what artificial apple flavoring is to green apples - that’s what Runts is to the Gros banana.
You can still get the Gros in some places but it’s not grown at scale, has to be isolated.
ooh so that’s what that is
i heard an old man mysteriously whisper “enjoy your bananas while they still exist, young person” to me at the supermarket a while ago and i didn’t know what they were talking about but they sounded very serious so i didn’t doubt them.
Clones fall behind the arms race that nature is. Seedless bananas so far seem to last decades
sexuality ftw!