Banana wine - peels or no peels?

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BernardSmith

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I am thinking about making a small batch of banana wine. I see that some recipes call for banana peels and some don't. I imagine that people include the peels of bananas in banana wine because of the tannins in them but I wonder how safe it is to include peels from commercially grown bananas given the use of pesticides and other chemicals that may have been sprayed on the skins to inhibit ripening during shipping. Has anyone on this forum any thoughts about this and whether it is better to simply add tannins and not include the peels? Thanks
 
I've thrown bananas into cheap kits to add body, but never thought about the 'stuff' that might be on the skins. I think the the skins would be good to have, but either buy organic, or rinse very well before use.
 
I often use bananas and I just slice them up with skins on. I do wash all fruit that I use for wine.
 
Search for Deezils banana port posts, he did an indepth scientific study on bananas in winemaking. I like the skins, full of enzymes that help the wine to clear faster also. WVMJ

I am thinking about making a small batch of banana wine. I see that some recipes call for banana peels and some don't. I imagine that people include the peels of bananas in banana wine because of the tannins in them but I wonder how safe it is to include peels from commercially grown bananas given the use of pesticides and other chemicals that may have been sprayed on the skins to inhibit ripening during shipping. Has anyone on this forum any thoughts about this and whether it is better to simply add tannins and not include the peels? Thanks
 
As always , thanks to every one. WVMJ , I will check out Deezil's posts on banana wines. And Jim, Way back when, when I was at Aberdeeen U (in Scotland ) one of my friends who was studying undergraduate microbiology told me that they would use black pepper as a mutagen in specific lab experiments. My concern is only whether bananas are sprayed with toxins that we would normally discard before eating the fruit but if I was to steep the skins in the must and ferment on top of the skins I would be cultivating and harvesting those toxins. That anything can be toxic is one thing, that some things are designed and deliberately used because of their toxicity is, I think, quite different. The first class of things I can treat with respect. The second class of things I would prefer to avoid altogether. :D
 
Besides the natural pesticides plants produce that you are concentrating, see this list for some ideas:

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~snelson/HBIA/2006 BANANA PESTICIDE UPDATE.htm

Doubtful you can get rid of much by discarding the peels, since systemic action is needed for a lot of them. Shrug. Wine is not a health food. Check out what they spray on grapes sometime! And we do use alcohol expressly because of its toxicity.
 
Besides the natural pesticides plants produce that you are concentrating, see this list for some ideas:

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~snelson/HBIA/2006 BANANA PESTICIDE UPDATE.htm

Doubtful you can get rid of much by discarding the peels, since systemic action is needed for a lot of them. Shrug. Wine is not a health food. Check out what they spray on grapes sometime! And we do use alcohol expressly because of its toxicity.

Arghhhhh... That list is quite terrifying.
 
Arghhhhh... That list is quite terrifying.

Naaah... check this out if ya wanna get skeered...

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-sty...ist-pesticide-laden-produce-article-1.1328555

There goes most of my wine production! :)

Apples...
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/DS.jsp?sk=4001

Wine grapes...
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/DS.jsp?sk=29143

Peaches...
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/DS.jsp?sk=5004

Strawberries...
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/DS.jsp?sk=1016

:) And that's just in California! No way outta it, man! :)
 
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It depends on the state of the banana in question..

Green-peeled bananas are basically all-starch, the actual fruit itself. Most of the enzymes that break down this starch into sugars are still located within the peel.

Yellow-peeled bananas are still mostly starch, although the enzymes are starting to make their way into the fruit and change those starches into sugars.

Yellow-peeled bananas with black mottling are even less starchy, as the enzymes are moving in a bit of an exodus, towards the fruit at this point. The darkening of the peel comes from the breakdown of the cell walls and oxidation of those cells; basically the peel is deteriorating as the enzymes and nutrients head toward the fruit inside.

Once the peel is blackened, it's basically given up everything it has to offer and without processing, the fruit will rot in short order. The peel at this point is completely oxidized, has lost a majority of its mass, and is barely enough barrier from the atmosphere to protect the fruit inside.

All this said, personally, I dont think I'd ever use anything less than a mottled banana in my wines, simply because there's too much starch vs sugar; if the peels are blackening, I dont feel comfortable with using them (the peels) in my wines... Basically, I'll always ripen the fruit until the peels are atleast partially black, and I'll probably never include the peels.

How this all plays into what they spray on the bananas, and if those sprays work into the fruit alongside the enzymes.. I have no idea... All I know is this small batch of Banana Bochet smells amazing - the bananas have overwhelmed the caramelized honey so far..
 
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I always thought banana skins bitter not sure Id want that a part of my wine!!
 
I always thought banana skins bitter not sure Id want that a part of my wine!!

Tess, it's what Deezil said - you gotta use them dead ripe. The skins add body that you won't get with just the fruit IMO. Keep an eye out for the discounted bananas in the store cuz they are "too ripe." Those are just about ripe enough for wine!

Manley, black peels contain the most sugar. That is what is deemed a ripe banana in the countries where they are grown. They say we eat them too early.
 
Hey,

Banana peels don't give an bitter taste but an neutral banana taste.
The most important thing to do when you use the peels is to boil them because bananas get yellow with the help of bacteria.
Those bacteria are an disaster for your wine.

Bearpaw
 
Manley, black peels contain the most sugar. That is what is deemed a ripe banana in the countries where they are grown. They say we eat them too early.

Right, but it's the fruit that has all the sugar, not the peels.. Black peeled bananas have the most sugar, in the fruit itself.. The peel has given up all it has to give by that point
 
I freeze over ripe bananas and the skins in zip lock bags to add to most types of must. I don't boil them but just put them in a strainer bag.

What I am reading here is to boil them first and just add the "soup" to the must?
Never thought to wash the peels since they are not eaten. Should I just thrown the peel away now when I thaw them to use?
 
Hey,

Banana peels don't give an bitter taste but an neutral banana taste.
The most important thing to do when you use the peels is to boil them because bananas get yellow with the help of bacteria.
Those bacteria are an disaster for your wine.

Bearpaw

Never boiled a banana in my life. I chop 'em in 1-inch segments, load 'em in a bag and toss 'em in the must.
 
Good for you jswordy,
But not everybody wants to play on unsafe mode.
It is boiling the bananas or have an change to trow your wine away,
The fruit itself doesn't have to boil, only the peel.

Bearpaw
 
The most important thing to do when you use the peels is to boil them because bananas get yellow with the help of bacteria.

It's actually an enzyme that the banana produces itself, as is a part of the ripening process.
 

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