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, N. and Kräutler, B. (2008), Blue Luminescence of Ripening Bananas. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 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

Graphical Abstract

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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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