how does putting fruit into a bowl of rice help ripen it?

Question

i've been told countless times that this is a vietnamese tradition. i've also experimented with it. with two almost identical fruits, i've left one outside and one in a bowl of rice to cover it completely. the one in the bowl of rice ripened tremendously fast--5 days faster than the one left outside. and i could tell by the strong smell it emitted when it was finally deliciously ripe. how did it happen?

Answer 1

I don't know exactly why, but maybe this can give you or someone a head start. Rice absorbs moisture very easily, which is why it's sometimes used at the bottom of salt or sugar shakers... so it doesn't crystallize. So it must have something to do with this. I don't know why fruits ripen, but the rice must be absorbing the moisture either from the air or the fruit itself. What kind of fruit did you use?



Edit:

Actually, I found this. I assume the rice has the same effect because it absorbs so easily and is porous:



"as fruit ripens it releases a natural hormone called ethylene. The paper bag traps this gas close to the fruit, thus ripening it more quickly, while still allowing some ventilation."



From the sounds of it, a paper bag would produce the same effect. Try ripening one in a paper bag and one in rice... see what happens.

Answer 2

Fast Ripening Rice

Answer 3

Fruits will ripen paster if left in a brown paper bag. That is because they relese a gas called ethylene(not hormone) that hastens ripening. The bag keeps the gas near them. Apparently the rice also keeps the gas near them.

Answer 4

Does rice release ethene (ethylene)? That has a ripening effect.

Answer 5

i didn't know it did, but thanks for letting me know.