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tpayers tpayers
wrote...
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11 years ago
This is an experimant i have to do as part of my Alevel biology and id like to know what to expect : )

if it does affect it, then why does it do this?

answer soon as please ... thanks in advance wonderful people

xx
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wrote...
11 years ago
Lemon is commonly put into fruit salad to prevent fruit such as apple going brown.  Lemon is rich in citric acid, which has a low pH.  So by deduction a lower pH slows the browning of an apple.

The following explains why this is so:
Chemically, the browning process happens when PPOs (polyphenol oxidase) is oxidised by enzymes in the chloroplasts.  This produces brown-colored secondary products.

"Lemon or pineapple juices, both of which naturally contain antioxidants, can be used to coat apple slices and slow enzymatic browning. In addition, both fruit juices are acidic and the lower pH that they bring about causes PPO to become less active."
wrote...
11 years ago Edited: 11 years ago, bio_man
Apples and other produce (e.g., pears, bananas, peaches, potatoes) contain an enzyme (called polyphenol oxidase or tyrosinase) that reacts with oxygen and iron-containing phenols that are also found in the apple. The oxidation reaction basically forms a sort of rust on the surface of the fruit. You see the browning when the fruit is cut or bruised because these actions damage the cells in the fruit, allowing oxygen in the air to react with the enzyme and other chemicals.

The reaction can be slowed or prevented by inactivating the enzyme with heat (cooking), reducing the pH on the surface of the fruit (by adding lemon juice or another acid), reducing the amount of available oxygen (by putting cut fruit under water or vacuum packing it), or by adding certain preservative chemicals (like sulfur dioxide). On the other hand, using cutlery that has some corrosion (as is seen with lower quality steel knives) can increase the rate and amount of the browning by making more iron salts available for the reaction.
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