ENZYMES

EXERCISE 2
Fruits Gone Bad? Discover Enzymatic Browning

Name: Manuel R. Rodulfo IV

Section: BSND 1-1N

Part 1. Banana

1 piece Banana (Yellow with no brown spots)

Pot
Water

1. Fill a pot with water.

2. Place the pot on the stove and heat the water until boiling.
3. Take the banana and look closely at its peel. What color is it? Do you see any brown spots? Record on
the answer sheet on page 11.
4. Carefully dip the bottom third of the banana into the boiling water for 30 seconds. What happens to
the banana when you submerge it in hot water?. Record on the answer sheet on page 10.

5. After the 30 seconds remove the banana from the boiling water and observe it for another three
minutes. What do you notice? Does the banana look different after a while? How?. Record on the answer
sheet on page 10.
6. When the banana has cooled down, peel the banana. Look at the fruit that was inside the peel. Did you
expect the banana to look like that? Record on the answer sheet on page 11.

Part 2 Apple

1 piece Apple
Milk powder
Vinegar
Calamansi juice or Lime juice or Lemon juice
Cutting board
Knife
1. Cut two slices from the apple on a cutting board. Place each slice onto its side. How do they look?
Record on the answer sheet on page 10.

2. Poke one of the apple slices with a fork several times. Then observe both slices for 15 to 20
minutes. How do the apple slices change over time? Do you notice a difference between the two
slices? If yes, can you explain why? Record on the answer sheet on page 12.

3. Cut five more slices from the apple and place each slice on its side. Immediately after cutting,
sprinkle milk on top of the first slice, vinegar on the second slice, lemon juice on the third slice
and water on the fourth slice. Keep the last slice as is. Then poke each apple slice several times
with a fork. What do you think these liquids will do to the apple? Record on the answer sheet on
page 11.
4. Observe all five apple slices for another 15 to 20 minutes. How are the apple slices different after
15 to 20 minutes? What did each liquid do to the apple slice? Can you explain your results? Record
on the answer sheet on page 12.
 RESULTS

Please write your answers in the provided space.

BANANA:

1. What color is it? Do you see any brown spots?

The banana has evidences of minimal brown spots when it was utilized for the experiment. It
might be because of mechanical stress when it was in the market.

2. What happens to the banana when you submerge it in hot water?

After submerging the banana in the boilin water, I did not immediately observe a significant
change on the banana, but after only 10 seconds in the boiling water, I had already observed
discoloration on the banana peel.

3. What do you notice? Does the banana look different after a while? How?

Within after 30 seconds and after putting it out, I observed a huge difference on the color of the
banana. The banana turned really dark as if it was transformed from a fresh banana to a rotten
banana for only 30 seconds. After immersing the bottom third of the banana in boiling water, the
cells that were exposed to the water's heat were damaged, which causes the enzyme polyphenol
oxidase (PPO) and phenolic compounds to be released and react with the oxygen of the air to
produce melanin, which leads the injured banana to turn brown/black. Melanin is a pigment that
protects the outer cells from ultraviolet deterioration and, due to its antioxidant qualities, also
fights against the existence of free radicals. Melanin is produced through oxidation and
polymerization of phenolic compounds. Plant melanin synthesis si primarily linked to the
enzymatic browning response that takes place in damaged plant tissues.

4. Did you expect the banana to look like that?

I did not initially anticipate that the banana would appear fresh on the inside. Although the
exterior of the banana peel appears old and decay, the interior of the banana appears fresh. This
is due to the fact that enzymatic browning only impacted the peel and that the banana within
remained unaffected because it is protected by the peel.

APPLE:

1. How do they look?

 I observed minimal browning after slicing the apple within 5 minutes due to the fact that when
the apple was cut, oxygen was introduced to the damaged tissue cells. When cells are exposed to
oxygen from the air, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymes in the chloroplast quickly oxidize phenolic
compounds that are present naturally in apple tissue, resulting in the production of melanin,
which causes the apple to turn brown.

2. How do the apple slices change over time? Do you notice a difference between the two slices? If
yes, can you explain why?

The apple slices turned brown over time since their tissues were both damaged which triggered
enzymatic browning but the poked apple slice turned darker than the other. The apple slice that
was poked with a fork received more damage than the other, which also means that more cells
were damaged, and more polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymes and phenolic compounds were
released, causing more melanin production, which is why it turned prominently darker than the
other.

3. What do you think these liquids will do to the apple?

I think some of these liquids will affect the apple in terms of preventing enzymatic browning, while
others won't. I also assume that vinegar and calamansi can prevent enzymatic browning better
than milk and water as they both contain anti-oxidants, which help prevent the oxidation process.

4. How are the apple slices different after 15 to 20 minutes? What did each liquid do to the apple
slice? Can you explain your results?

The apple slice sprinkled with milk has the most obvious enzymatic browning, the one sprinkled
with water has minimal enzymatic browning, the one sprinkled with calamansi has minimal to no
enzymatic browning, and the one sprinkled with vinegar prominently showed the least enzymatic
browning. The acidity of the lemon and vinegar decreased the pH of the apple, preventing
oxidation. They also contain antioxidants, which help to prevent enzymatic browning. Since
oxygen reacts with the antioxidants in the lemon and vinegar rather than the polyphenols in the
cells of the apple, no browning occurs. Milk, on the other hand, had no effect on the enzymatic
browning of the apple because milk is slightly acidic but close to neutral, and thus cannot prevent
the oxidation process. Lastly, Water is a neutral substance that has no effect on the reaction,
which is why enzymatic browning was not prevented.