Bananas are harvested when they are green. They are then treated with a gas called ethylene, which is naturally produced by ripening fruit

Bananas are the world’s most popular fruit – but their short shelf life means they can go mushy before they are eaten.

Now scientists have developed a 'natural dip' that can extend the life of the ripe fruit by up to two days – doubling their shelf life of around two to three days.

The breakthrough could help reduce food waste.

Bananas are harvested typically when they are green.

They are then treated with a gas called ethylene, which is naturally produced by ripening fruit.

The fruits turn yellow around four to five days after the treatment.

Once yellow, bananas are considered unsuitable for sale after two to three days.

So just an extra couple of days makes a big difference to shops selling the fruit.

The dip called LPE, a phospholipid, naturally occurs in egg yolks and soya beans.

Zienab Ahmed from South Valley University in Egypt and Jiwan Palta from the University of Wisconsin-Madison carried out the research, published in HortScience.

The authors said: ‘Previous studies conducted in our laboratory have demonstrated that both pre- and post-harvest application of lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) can retard aging and improve shelf life of various fruits.

‘In this study we investigated the possibility of improving shelf life of banana fruit by a postharvest dip in LPE.’

Bananas that were 75 per cent green were dipped in the LPE solution for 30 minutes and then observed for a five days at room temperature.

The treatment was applied to 50 uniform bananas from different bunches.

The authors said: ‘Five days after dip treatment, the fruit treated with LPE were firmer and thicker as compared with the untreated control.’