Name

: Sarina binti Kamaruddin

Student ID : 0323182

Pre-laboratory Activity
Practical 1 Preparation of bottles fruit juices
1. Why fresh fruits such as pineapple and mango slices turn brown easily? Suggest
two preservative methods to prevent this from happening
Pineapples and mango slices turn brown easily due to enzymatic oxidation where the
enzymes in the fruits react with oxygen converting the plant phenolic compound into
brown pigments which are melanins. The reaction is sped up with presence of iron
from the knife when cutting the fruit. To prevent this from happening by cooking or
heating to inactivate the enzyme. Another preservative method is by adding acids or
lemon juice to reduce the pH.
2. What are the common types of fruit juices that are available in Malaysia?
Orange juice, mango juice, pineapple juice, calamansi juice, guava juice
3. Fruit juice preparation involves heating/boiling and acidification of the juice.
What are the main reasons for these steps? Be specific.
The main reasons of involving heating/boiling and acidification in fruit juice
preparation is to eliminate microbiological and enzymatic activity. One type of heat
application is pasteurization where it reduces the microbial load. It will also inactivate
enzyme that causes oxidation leading to undesirable product for consumers. The
acidification of juice will reduce the pH, thus microorganism are unlikely to spoil
product at a lower pH. Both of these steps makes the end product more stable and
increasing the shelf life.