Have you ever wondered why bananas have those obnoxious little strings that you have to methodically peel off every time, or — gag — eat?
Turns out those fibrous bits actually have a name. They’re called “phloem bundles.”
If you’ve retained anything from biology class, you might remember that phloem has an important function in the growth of plants.
You don’t? Yeah, me neither.
According to Nicholas D. Gillitt, Ph.D. in physical/inorganic chemistry and the VP of nutrition research and director at the Dole Nutrition Institute, “Phloem bundles are necessary for the adequate disposition of nutrients throughout the plant.”
In addition to being actually useful, Gillitt confirmed that they are totally edible.
But we still want to know — is it possible to create a banana without phloem bundles? We know we’re not the only ones who hate picking them off every time we eat a banana.
While Gillitt thinks that it’s “potentially possible” to develop a banana without the annoying little strings, he also feels that “it is a much more important extension of resources to spend research money on breeding disease-resistant or increased nutrient content varieties.”
