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Objective:
Participants will examine the process of apples turning brown due to chemical
reactions.
Time to complete the activity: 1hr and 30 minutes.
Background:
Tons of fruits and vegetables are produced, processed, and shipped daily, specifically
to the market. However, some of it never makes it into the stores. The reason is fruits and
vegetables turn brown rapidly when they are damaged. The primary culprits are air, moisture,
light, temperature, mechanical stress (fall, cut), and microbial growth. Furthermore, people
will often reject them due to their browning and bruises. This reaction is called Enzymatic
Browning.
Enzymatic browning happens when the chemical reaction of fruit is exposed to
oxygen, resulting in browning, and may affect the taste, flavor, and nutritional value. The
enzyme responsible for browning is called polyphenol oxidase (PPO). Due to the presence of
oxygen, the PPO changes its substances to phenolic compounds via oxidation into quinones
compounds. Thus, the quinones react with other substances to form melanin. In addition,
PPO has the presence of H 2 O 2which induces melanin. For this reason, it affects the loss of
color and the modification of taste, flavor, and nutritional properties.
It can be simplified into:
Polyphenol oxidase + O2 → Melanin (Brown color)
Apples are one of the most consumed fruits. They are rich in minerals and vitamins.
They contain high phenolic compounds that elicit protective effects against chronic and
degenerative diseases. Hence, it acts as an anti-oxidants that potentially limits the damage to
cells and tissues. The phenolic profile of an apple has five major phenolic groups found in
most cultivars: hydroxycinnamic acids, flavanols-3 and procyanidins, anthocyanins,
flavanols, and dihydrochalcones. Furthermore, phenolic compounds may vary depending on
the fruit's maturity and climatic/ environmental conditions. Therefore, in each apple, the
phenolic composition and the activity of various enzymes are critical to understanding, as
they may influence the potential for browning.
Questions:
Which Test solution will prevent browning the most?
Hypothesis:
If we add a slice of an apple in various five test solutions and Controlled treatment. Then
apple will act differently with different test solutions. Furthermore, time and temperature may
affect the enzymatic browning of apples.
Variables:
Independent Variable: Slices of apple and Different Five Test Solution
Dependent Variable: Time taken for apple slices to turn brown.
Controlled Variable: The freshness of apple before the experiment, type of an apple
(Red Delicious), The temperature, and Amount of time monitoring the apple slices.
Slicing an apple.
Dipping the apple slices and soaking the apple slices:
After 30 minutes:
Observation Picture
The hypanthium fresh part of the
vinegar treatment is pale white, and the
exocarp lining and endocarp parts were
turning brown.
After 50 minutes:
Observation Picture
The hypanthium fresh and mesocarp
part of the vinegar treatment is white,
and the exocarp lining and endocarp
parts were both deep browns.
In Conclusion:
The hypothesis was accurate since the apple browning was differently affected by
various test solutions and controlled treatments. In conclusion, the acetic acid found in
vinegar reduces the browning by lowering the ph. level of an apple below 3.0, and it inhibits
the polyphenol oxidase enzyme. Although vinegar is effective, it is not commonly used as a
fresh preservative because it dramatically changes the taste of an apple due to its sour and
pungent smell. Furthermore, our second option will be the calamansi; the citric acid also
lowers the ph. level of the apple. It is an easy way to prevent browning and does not
negatively affect the taste. Lemon juice is commonly citric acid used to preserve apples
because it has a chelating agent that causes metal ions to react with other molecules to form a
ring structure. Citric acid inhibits the polyphenol oxidase enzyme by binding up metal ions in
the enzyme. Therefore, it inhibits enzymatic browning. Lastly, the salt + water, known as
acetic acid, slows down the browning because chloride ions in the salt inhibit the polyphenol
oxidase (PPO) enzymes, and the water shields the cut-off enzyme from the air, which
contains oxygen.