Communication

Blue Luminescence of Ripening Bananas†

  1. Simone Moser1,
  2. Thomas Müller Dr.1,
  3. Marc-Olivier Ebert Dr.1,
  4. Steffen Jockusch Dr.2,
  5. Nicholas J. Turro Prof. Dr.2,
  6. Bernhard Kräutler Prof. Dr.1

Article first published online: 10 OCT 2008

DOI: 10.1002/anie.200803189

Issue

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Volume 47, Issue 46, pages 8954–8957, November 3, 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Moser, S., Müller, T., Ebert, M.-O., Jockusch, S., Turro, Nicholas J. and Kräutler, B. (2008), Blue Luminescence of Ripening Bananas. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 47: 8954–8957. doi: 10.1002/anie.200803189

Author Information

  1. 1

    Institute of Organic Chemistry and Centre of Molecular Biosciences (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52a, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria, Fax: (+43) 512-507-2892

  2. 2

    Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, 3000 Broadway, MC 3119, New York, NY 10027 (USA)

  1. †

    We thank Georg Kontaxis and Robert Konrat (Max Perutz Laboratories, Vienna) for heteronuclear NMR measurements. Our work was supported by the National Science Foundation of Austria (FWF P-19596) and the National Science Foundation of the USA (NSF-CHE-04-15516, NSF-CHE-07-17518).

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 28 OCT 2008
  2. Article first published online: 10 OCT 2008
  3. Manuscript Received: 2 JUL 2008

Funded by

  • National Science Foundation of Austria. Grant Number: FWF P-19596
  • National Science Foundation of the USA
  • NSF-CHE-04-15516. Grant Number: NSF-CHE-07-17518

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Keywords:

  • chlorophyll;
  • fruit;
  • luminescence;
  • pigments;
  • porphyrinoids;
  • tetrapyrrole
Thumbnail image of graphical abstract

Yes, we have blue bananas! Ripening bananas exhibit intense blue luminescence under UV light. Their luminescence arises from fluorescent chlorophyll catabolites which accumulate in the banana peels during ripening; their natural further conversion into nonfluorescent catabolites is specifically inhibited by a previously unrecognized chemical modification.

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