Prompt Cast
The Evolution and Extinction of Banana Flavors
TLDR The artificial banana flavor we know today is based on a banana variety called the "gross Michelle" that went extinct in the 1950s due to a fungal disease. Chemists created an artificial banana flavor using a compound found in bananas and pears, and people's perception of the flavor depends on cultural exposure and personal associations.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Artificial banana flavoring is based on a banana that is no longer eaten, which is why it tastes different from the bananas we know today.
02:01
The banana known as the "gross Michelle" became extinct in the 1950s due to a fungal disease called Panama disease, leading to the invention of the Cavendish banana.
04:23
The Cavendish banana is currently the most widely grown variety and is at risk of being wiped out by diseases, just like the previous banana variety.
06:24
The artificial banana flavor used in candy doesn't taste like the Cavendish banana because it was created to mimic the now-extinct Gros Michel banana.
08:37
Chemists developed an artificial banana flavor and then tinkered with it to make it mimic the Gros Michel banana, using a chemical compound called amyl acetate that is found in bananas and pears.
10:37
The perception of the artificial banana flavor depends on cultural exposure and personal associations, with people in the UK perceiving it as pear flavor and Americans perceiving it as banana flavor.
12:41
The compound isoamyl acetate found in the Gros Michel banana flavoring evokes the taste of the Gros Michel banana more than the Cavendish banana, and a banana grower in Hawaii described the Gros Michel as tasting like fake banana flavoring.
Categories:
Society & Culture
