The fruit physiology of banana cultivars is poorly understood. To study the ripening of plantain, a high-throughput proteomics experiment was executed and compared to the better known Cavendish. The starch content in plantain was at the onset of ripening very high and decreased to undetectable levels. Multivariate analysis of the proteins was performed correlated to the starch dynamics. The drop in sucrose synthase and the raise of acid invertase during ripening indicated a change in the balance of the sucrose fate. During ripening, sugars may no longer be available for respiration since they are stored in the vacuoles, making citrate the preferred respiratory substrate. One isoform of alfa amylase acted during the early phases of starch breakdown while another acted during the later phases when the starch branches are simpler in structure. We found significant variety specific differences in granule-bound starch synthase, alpha- and beta amylases, cell wall invertase and sucrose synthase that corroborate the difference in starch content/structure between both bananas. Differences in small heat shock proteins and in the cell wall-modifying enzyme xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase support respectively the presumed higher carotenoid content and the firmer fruit structure of plantains.