Mozart sweetens bananas?

Studies have shown that classical music has a relaxing and rejuvenating effect on humans. But do bananas ripened to the tunes of Mozart taste better? One Japanese fruit company says so.

Studies have shown that classical music has a relaxing and rejuvenating effect on humans. But do bananas ripened to the tunes of Mozart taste better? One Japanese fruit company says so.

HT Image

The company, Toyoka Chuo Seika, ripens ordinary bananas from the Philippines in ripening chambers for one week, while continuously playing Mozart over the speakers. The result, they say, is a sweeter fruit.

Another fruit wholesaler in Japan started the trend three years ago. Now, you can find soy sauce, udon noodles, miso, maitake mushrooms, and ‘Beethoven Bread’ on Japanese grocery store shelves, extolling the virtues of classical music vibrations.

Another company that promotes music-infused gastronomy is Ohara Shuzo, a sake brewery in Japan. For 24 to 30 days, during the third step of the sake brewing process, Mozart is played for one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon as the sake ferments in stainless-steel tanks.

Symphony 41

and

Piano Concerto 20

get the most play. “It makes the sake have a richer fragrance and a milder taste,” said Fumiko Ohara of the firm, in an interview with

The Japan Times

.