Hey, have you ever opened your lunch box only to discover that the lovely apple you sliced in the morning now appears unsightly and brown.

Have you ever wondered why this happen every time?

This unappetizing phenomenon is actually due to a chain of biochemical reactions known as “enzymatic browning.”

This is it, when apple is injured (or sliced into pieces as the case may be), the plant tissue is exposed to oxygen.

This triggers an

enzyme known as polyphenol oxidase (PPO) to—wait for it—oxidize polyphenols in the apple’s flesh. This results in new chemicals (o-quinones), which then react with amino acids to produce brown-colored melanins.

Different apple varieties contain different amounts of both the initial enzyme and the polyphenols, and thus they brown at different rates.

Enzymatic browning is not just in apples; Pears, bananas, and eggplants also turn brown fairly quickly when cut.

Enzymatic browning is also responsible for the desirable dark color of prunes, coffee, black tea, and cocoa.

To reduce browning in apples, keep the slices refrigerated to slow the reaction.

The good news now is that plant scientists are currently working to genetically engineer apples that do not produce the PPO enzymes. Till then, keep your sliced apples away from oxygen.

CC:
Seun, Lalasticlala

source: http://gistbox24.com/2017/07/04/why-do-sliced-apples-turn-brown/

One Apple is for a person. don't share a apple with friends

oxidation