MadSci Network: Botany
Query:

Re: Refering to your answer about why one cut apple turns brown faster than

Date: Sun Feb 21 20:00:05 1999
Posted By: Carol Crouse, , Food Technology, The Food Chain Ltd.
Area of science: Botany
ID: 919125157.Bt
Message:

Hello, Nicole! Just as people have blue eyes or brown eyes, thick hair or fine hair, different varieties of apples are different colors, have different textures and tastes and they also contain different amounts of phenolase.

But WHY do they contain different amounts of phenolase? Though I haven't been able to find a direct reference why, when I was thinking about your question, there was one explanation that made sense to me -

Remember in my answer to Jessica, I explained that warmer temperatures speed up the browning process. Well, bananas and other tropical fruit do turn brown - but at a slower rate than do our apples and potatoes. This is because the tropical fruits contain less phenolase, probably to make them last better in warmer climates. Therefore, it is logical that varieties of apples that were bred for warmer regions - like California - also would have less phenolase. I know that varieties of apples like the MacIntosh and Cortland which are hardy enough to survive winters in the northeast, do brown much faster than some of the apples that are imported into Canada. I just hadn't stopped to think about why until your question, Nicole.

Carol Crouse
The Food Chain Ltd.
ccrouse@nbnet.nb.ca


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