Many people store all of their fruits in the refrigerator without thinking twice. However, some fruits actually should not be refrigerated. Keeping certain fruits cold can negatively impact their texture, flavor, and shelf life. Knowing which fruits belong on the counter and which should stay in the fridge can ensure you get the best taste and longevity out of your produce.
Quick Answers
Here are quick answers to common questions about refrigerating fruits:
Which fruits should not go in the refrigerator?
Fruits that should not be refrigerated include bananas, pineapples, mangoes, papayas, plantains, and tomatoes. The cold temperature damages these fruits and prevents them from properly ripening.
Why shouldn’t you refrigerate bananas?
Refrigerating bananas causes the peel to turn brown. The cold also changes the starch to sugar ratio, resulting in a mushy, bland taste once warmed back up.
What happens if you refrigerate tomatoes?
Tomatoes get mealy and lose their flavor if refrigerated. The cold breaks down their cell structure and textural compounds.
Can you refrigerate citrus fruits like oranges and lemons?
Yes, citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit can be refrigerated to help them last longer. The cold and moist environment does not significantly affect their quality.
Fruits That Should Not Go In the Fridge
Now let’s take a deeper look at specific fruits that do best stored at room temperature.
Bananas
Bananas are tropical fruits that prefer warmer temperatures. Refrigerating bananas causes their peel to turn brown. The cold damages the cell membranes and leads to early ripening. Once warmed back up, refrigerated bananas tend to become overly soft and mushy with a markedly bland flavor. Instead, keep bananas on the counter away from direct sunlight. Let them ripen naturally until the peel is speckled brown and the fruit yields to gentle pressure.
Pineapples
Pineapples are also tropical fruits that don’t respond well to cold storage. Refrigerating pineapples alters their texture, converting their juicy flesh to a dry, crumbly state. The chilling process also ruins their unique sweet-sour balance. For best results, keep pineapples at room temperature up until you slice into them for eating. Leftover cut pineapple can go into the fridge for 2-3 days.
Mangoes
Mangoes thrive in hot, humid environments and suffer damage when exposed to cold dry refrigerator air. Refrigerating mangoes before they are ripe stops the ripening process, leaving them hard and unpalatable. Ripe mangoes develop chill injury if refrigerated, becoming less juicy and aromatic. Store mangoes on the counter to ripen. Once sliced, they can be refrigerated up to 5 days.
Papayas
Papayas have a delicate flesh that reacts poorly to cold temperatures. Refrigeration causes the flesh to become mushy and impart a fermented taste. Allow papayas to ripen at room temperature away from direct sunlight until they yield slightly to pressure. Leftover cut papaya can be refrigerated up to 3 days.
Plantains
Raw green plantains have an extremely long shelf life at room temperature. Refrigerating plantains causes ugly blackening of the peel. Ripe plantains also suffer cold damage, becoming unappealingly soft and dark if chilled. Keep plantains on the counter until ready to cook.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes quickly lose their fresh, garden flavor when refrigerated. The cold breaks down their cell structure, making refrigerated tomatoes mealy and less juicy. Never refrigerate fresh tomatoes. Keep them stem-side up on the counter away from direct sunlight. Prior to cutting, tomatoes can be stored up to a week at room temperature.
Why These Fruits Don’t Do Well Refrigerated
The fruits that fare poorly in the refrigerator all suffer chill injury to varying degrees. Chill injury refers to damage caused by storage at temperatures below 50°F (10°C). Multiple detrimental changes happen when susceptible fruits get too cold:
- Cell membranes deteriorate
- Moisture content and juiciness decreases
- Ripening enzymes are deactivated
- Sugars convert to starch affecting flavor
- Cell structure breaks down leading to mealy texture
- Aromatic volatiles diminish causing lack of flavor
These fruits have either evolved in tropical or subtropical environments and their makeup is not adapted to cold. Refrigeration interrupts their ripening process and normal metabolism in ways that permanently compromise their eating quality.
Fruits That Can Be Refrigerated
While some fruits suffer in the cold, others actually keep better with refrigeration. These fruits tend to originate in temperate regions and are well-equipped to handle chillier temperatures:
- Apples
- Berries – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Kiwifruit
- Lemons
- Limes
- Oranges
- Peaches
- Pears
- Plums
- Watermelon
The key for these fruits is to only refrigerate them when ripe and ready to eat. Refrigerating unripe fruit will halt the ripening process. Allow fruit to ripen at room temperature first until it reaches the desired maturity and texture. Then go ahead and stick it in the fridge to slow further ripening and extend its enjoyment.
Properly stored, most refrigerated fruits can last up to 2 weeks with minimal decline in eating quality. Berries are more delicate and tend to last only 5-7 days in the fridge. Refrigerated fruits may need a few minutes sitting out at room temperature to regain their full flavor and juicy texture if served chilled.
How Cold Temperature Damages Fruits
To understand why some fruits suffer from cold storage while others tolerate it, you need to look at the biological effects. Refrigeration temperature ranges from 32-40°F (0-4°C). At these low temperatures, chemical reactions, enzyme activity, and cell metabolism slow down dramatically.
Tropical and subtropical fruits adapted to grow in hot, humid climates cannot cope well with these drastic biochemical changes:
Cell Membrane Damage
The membranes that surround plant cells are largely composed of phospholipids. These molecules transition from a flexible liquid state to a rigid, impermeable gel phase when exposed to cold temperatures. The loss of fluidity stiffens and fractures cell membranes, causing moisture loss and electrolyte leakage.
Impaired Ripening
The ripening process relies on ethylene production and activity of many heat-dependent enzymes. These enzymes are responsible for changes in starch, sugars, acids, aromas, colors, and textures as fruit ripens. Cold temperatures severely slows their actions, essentially paralyzing the normal ripening metabolism.
Chilling Injury
Prolonged cold exposure leads to chilling injury symptoms like mealiness, browning, pitting, faster decay, and failure to ripen properly. The lower the temperature and longer the duration, the more severe the damage. Chilling injury arises from cumulative physical and biochemical disruptions.
Failure to Ripen
Refrigeration retards ripening by slowing ethylene output, enzyme actions, and cell metabolism. If a fruit is refrigerated before it is mature, it may struggle to resume ripening when warmed. This results in unpleasant texture and poor flavor.
Loss of Flavor and Juiciness
The compounds that give fruit its characteristic aromas, tastes, and textures are very sensitive to temperature changes. Refrigeration makes fruits less able to synthesize and retain appealing volatiles, sugars, and structural compounds in their original forms.
Proper Fruit Storage Summary
Now you know which fruits require countertop storage and why refrigeration damages them. To summarize key points:
- Only store fruits in the refrigerator if they are tolerant of cold temperatures.
- Allow bananas, pineapples, mangoes, papayas, plantains, and tomatoes to ripen at room temperature.
- Refrigerate fruits once ripe to slow further ripening and deterioration.
- Refrigeration can lead to chill injury, impaired ripening, flavor loss, and poor texture in cold-sensitive fruits.
- When in doubt, experiment to see if refrigeration affects a fruit’s quality and shelf life.
Understanding proper fruit storage allows you to get the most out of your fresh produce. Follow these fruit refrigeration guidelines to keep your fruits flavored and textured just as nature intended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my refrigerated bananas turn black?
Bananas turn black when refrigerated due to chilling injury. The cold damages the cell membranes causing moisture loss and oxidative browning reactions.
How do you ripen fruit quickly?
To ripen fruit faster, place it in a paper bag with an apple or banana. The ethylene gas naturally emitted by these fruits will hasten ripening. Just don’t seal the bag completely.
Should stone fruits be refrigerated?
Stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, apricots, and plums should only be refrigerated once ripe. Unripe, they will not properly ripen in the fridge. Refrigerate ripe stone fruits up to 5-7 days.
Do oranges need to be refrigerated?
No, oranges do not need to be refrigerated. But refrigeration can extend the shelf life of ripe oranges up to 2-3 weeks. Just bring to room temperature before eating for best texture.
How long do berries last in the fridge?
Different berries have different fridge life but generally last 5-7 days. Raspberries and blackberries are the most perishable, only keeping 3-4 days. Refrigeration helps slow mold growth and moisture loss.
Why do my tomatoes get mushy in the fridge?
The cold temperature damages the cell structure of tomatoes, causing them to lose their rigidity and become mushy. Refrigeration also ruins their flavor. Tomatoes should always be kept at room temperature.
Is it OK to refrigerate avocados?
Only refrigerate avocados once ripe and ready to eat. The cold prevents unripe avocados from ripening properly. Ripe avocados can be refrigerated up to 5 days to slow spoilage.
Should you refrigerate lemons and limes?
Yes, lemons and limes can be refrigerated to extend their shelf life. The cold and moisture helps prevent drying out. They will last up to 4 weeks refrigerated.
The Bottom Line
Proper fruit storage requires knowing which fruits tolerate refrigeration and which do not. Bananas, mangoes, pineapples, papayas, plantains, and tomatoes should never see the inside of a refrigerator. These tropical and subtropical fruits sustain chill injury and fail to ripen correctly when stored cold. Always allow them to ripen at room temperature for best quality. Most other fruits can be refrigerated to slow ripening and deterioration once ripe. Just be sure to experiment with new fruits first before chilling them, as not all types tolerate cold storage well. Follow these fruit refrigeration guidelines to get the most out of your produce purchases.
