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What is Gas Chromatography: Why do Banana Candies Not Taste Like Bananas?

In a world bananaless and bland, what are we to do? Make new ones.

Long ago, there was a banana known as the Gros Michel. They were wildly popular, and flavorful. Then, in the 1950's a plague erupted. The ¨Panama Plague¨ almost killed off bananas entirely. A new breed of bananas sprung to the rescue, and we´ve eaten Cavendish bananas since. Cavendish bananas are what you think of, when you think of bananas. They are the sweet and plain mush we seem to love.

First, we need to find out if banana candies are different from bananas. I surveyed junior high kids on their thoughts about fruit and the banana candy I gave them. Everyone could recognise what flavor the ¨banana¨ candy was, but most noticed the lack of a resemblance to the bananas we know and love. This essay is dedicated to those who believed that the candy did taste like bananas, and the numerous people who described bananas as being banana-flavored. No, your bananas are not banana-flavored.

Banana candies were popular long before the plague. In fact, they were popular before bananas. The United States became obsessed with bananas and their aura of tropical beaches and faraway vacations. Companies created banana flavoring. We hadn't propagated* them yet, but corporations fed us these candies as vacations. Roughly ten years later, propagation was developed. The U.S. went crazy for bananas. One might say that the sales were bananas.

Many people stated that they tasted the same, but observed the differences. Bananas were described as plain, smooth and ¨stink bug, but good¨, whilst the descriptors of the candy were sour, flavorful and ¨untagy¨. The question still remains: is that the original flavor of the bananas?

According to banana farmer Rob Gozman, "It's [Gros Michel bananas][are] almost like what a Cavendish would taste like but sort of amplified, sweeter and, yeah, somehow artificial. Like how grape flavoured bubble-gum differs from an actual grape," he explains. "When I first tasted it, it made me think of banana flavourings." From taste alone, they are similar. The taste is also similar when broken down. Using gas chromatography, it was found that the Gros Michel banana in comparison to a subgroup of cavendish bananas, are less volatile and have a fuller and more interesting flavour. Gas chromatography is a process separating chemicals in a complex sample. Basically, it is vaporizing a natural solid into recognizable compounds. It lets us more clearly see what a banana, for example, is made of. As was previously reported, the bananas are much more flavorful as gas chromatography shows the Gros Michel to be.

However, this might not be the end of the panama plague´s reign. A new string of the disease is coming back, ¨Tropical Race 4¨(TR4). Fusarium, a fungus, infects the soil near bananas and can remain there, dormant, for upwards of thirty years. Across Asia, Africa and Australia the disease is spreading. It is predicted to soon reach South America, the main producer of bananas. Originally the bananas adapted to have immunity to the disease, but somehow this new string is attacking these ones too. This time eighty-five percent of bananas are vulnerable. Maybe you're thinking you could deal without bananas, but plenty of economies couldn´t. Internationally, banana and plantain production pulls 44.1 billion dollars annually. A majority of bananas are grown in already unstable economies. The halt of production is likely to cause crashes of entire countries. Ecuador, with 25% of the world´s production and still recovering from a crisis could be an at-risk area.

There is something you can do if you want to continue baking banana bread. The Honduras foundation is doing great research to help farmers protect their crops. You can donate or learn more at actshonduras.org.

Overall. the difference between candies and bananas may not matter soon, no one will have bananas to compare with them, as their prices rocket.

*Propagate - ¨breed specimens of (a plant or animal) by natural processes from the parent stock.”- Merriam Webster. Cultivated bananas don't produce seeds so instead of planting them, you have to propagate.

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www.globalgap.org/uk_en/.

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www.fao.org/home/en/.

“Listing the Top.” World List Mania,

www.worldlistmania.com/.

“Mic | Breaking News, Opinion, Reviews, Analysis.” Mic, Mic Network Inc.,

mic.com/.

“ProMusa.” ProMusa - the Banana Knowledge Platform,

www.promusa.org/.

“ScienceFriday.com.” Science Friday,

www.sciencefriday.com/.

“Tech and Science Tips, Reviews, News And More.” Gizmodo, Gizmodo.com,

gizmodo.com/.

“World Bank Group - International Development, Poverty, & Sustainability.” World Bank,

www.worldbank.org/.

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