How did fruit transported from colonies to the capitals during the colonial era stay fresh enough during shipping trips lasting months at sea?

Question

You often hear in history how fruits such as pineapples and bananas (seen as an exotic foreign produce in places such as Britain) were transported back to the country for people, often wealthy or influential, to try. How did such fruits last the months long voyages from colonies back to the empire’s capital without modern day refrigeration/freezing?

In: 7801

Answer 1

I’m not an expert but part of it was the development of infrastructure. The United Fruit Company was as much a logistics and infrastructure company as it was a fruit co, building railways, roads and ports, in places like Colombia, as well as creating The Great White fleet of vessels that were painted white to reflect the sun in order to protect their cargo from the heat of the sun.