Organic Acids in the Ripening Banana Fruit

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Abstract
The unripe banana fruit (Musa acuminata var. Gros Michel) contained about 4.5 meq of nonvolatile organic acidity per 100 g fresh weight. Oxalic acid made up about 50% of this total, malic acid 35%, and citric peak acidity (citric acid plus certain phosphates) 10%. During ripening, both malic acid and citric peak acidity increased 3- to 4-fold, and oxalic acid dropped to about 60% of its original value. The net result was a doubling of the organic acidity of the ripe fruit, with malic acid comprising about 65% of the total, citric peak 20%, and oxalic acid 10%. The remaining acidity at all stages of ripeness consisted of a series of acids, each present in trace quantities. These included glutamic, aspartic, glutaric, quinic, glyceric, glycolic, succinic, a-ketoglutaric, pyruvic, oxalacetic, and glyoxylic acids. The oxalic acid in bananas is completely water soluble.