What is the scientific reason avacados, bananas, etc, ripen faster when placed in a paper bag?
This is because bananas and avacados emit ethylene gas during ripening. This natural ripening hormone speeds up the process of turning those fruits into sweet-as-candy delights. By putting the fruits into a loosely closed paper bag, the ethylene gas surrounds the fruits, helping with the ripening process. Ethylene acts physiologically as a hormone in plants. It stimulates the ripening of fruit, the opening of flowers, and the abscission (or shedding) of leaves.
