How long a piece of fruit will last for depends quite dramatically on what type of fruit it is, where it is stored, what it is stored with and whether it has already been opened or cut in to. Even some of the most common fruits that you would keep in your fruit bowl can vary widely in the time that they will last before 'going off'. Some of the common fruits include:
Bananas that are bought green and stored at room temperature will normally last for about a week before they start to turn very brown. Bananas are often eaten according to personal taste so while some may consider brown bananas to have gone off, to others they are perfect! Storing other fruit alongside bananas will help them ripen quicker than their normal rate.
Apples that are stored in a fruit bowl at room temperature will normally last a fortnight before they start to turn brown. The length of time that they last for can be increased by storing them in the refrigerator. Refrigerated apples can last for six to eight weeks. Once an apple has been cut into, it is typically a matter of minutes before the flesh will start to brown.
Grapes stored in the refrigerator will typically last about a week or two. Often they will not go moldy for much longer but are not pleasant to eat once they have started to shrivel up. Outside of the fridge the same rules apply only the time span will be a matter of days rather than weeks.
The acidity and hard skin of lemons means that they can last for weeks, even months, in a fruit bowl. They do not need to be stored in the fridge unless they have already been cut into. Cut lemon slices can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days or longer if you want to use them to absorb smells.
Just within these four different types of fruit there are use by dates ranging from two days to months. There is no general time span that can be applied to how long all fruit will last.
