Starch hydrolosis (and bananas)

This is the extract from which I have to answer the 2 qns at the bottom, but I'm finding it really hard to come up with an answer:

Bananas go through a series of changes as they ripen. The skin goes from green through yellow to brown. Biochemical changes take place in the fruit pulp. In an unripe banana, the main carbohydrate in the fruit pulp is starch. As the fruit ripens, this starch is largely replaced by reducing sugars such as glucose. The mass of cellulose in the fruit pulp, however, does not change and remains more or less constant at between 1% and 2%. Bananas are picked when they are green and transported in refrigerated ships. A major problem with shipping bananas in this way is "chilling". Chilling results from exposing fruit to temperatures below a critical low value for longer than a critical time. In general the longer the voyage, the higher the temperature the bananas must be kept at to avoid chilling. Chilled bananas are poor in quality and not as sweet as usual because starch hydrolosis is slow.

So the questions I can't make sense of at all are:

1)Explain what causes starch hydrolosis to be slow in chilled bananas and

2)Explain why in general, the longer the voyage, the higher the temperature bananas must be kept at to avoid chilling.

Any help very much appreciated!thanks!

Reply 1

Jenski

I've replied to your other post, see that one

Reply 2

rosy123

k thanks, i've got an idea for qn 1, because the temperature would be below the optimum temperature of the enzymes they have little energy so work much slower causing the start hydolysis to be slow, but i've still not got an idea on the second qn (i thought i did then realised i was answering a completely different question in my answer!) can anyone guide me on that one?

Reply 3

Dekota

rosy123

1)Explain what causes starch hydrolosis to be slow in chilled bananas and

2)Explain why in general, the longer the voyage, the higher the temperature bananas must be kept at to avoid chilling.

*hydrolysis

1) Energy is required for hydrolysis. Heat energy is a good source of this energy, but in cooler conditions this heat energy is low and so hydrolysis is slow to occur.

2) As time goes by and slow hydrolysis does occur, the reaction will eventually gain speed and speed up. To keep the balance, higher temperature, as time goes by is necesary.