Title: Plan and Design #2(browning of an apple)

Aim: Plan and design a lab to prevent or slow down the colour change of the fruits.
Apparatus: 6 slices, knife, cool place (fridge), copper (CU), warm place, Ph meter, A
bowl of water, a plate, and acetic acid (vinegar).
Method:
Step 1) Place fruit on plate
Step 2) Cut fruit in half
Step 3) First test: Test 1
Place the half of the fruit in warm area (Outside in the sun).
Observe what happens after the fruit becomes heated (surroundings
around the fruit also)
Step 4) Second test: Test 2
Place half the fruit in a cooler area (fridge)
Observer what happens to the fruit in the cooler area.
Step 5) Third test: Test 3
Place Copper in a bowl with a fruit and stir
Observe what happens to the fruit with copper on it.
Step 6) Fourth test: test 4
Place fruit in a bowl of water to prevent oxygen.
Observe what happens with the fruit in the bowl of water.

Step 7) Fifth test: test 5

Acetic acid test
Place the fruit in acetic solution for 30 seconds.
Observe what happens to the fruit.
Step 8) Sixth test: test 6
No control test
Nothing was placed on the fruit
Step 9) Record all data.
RESULTS:

Time( Min
utes)

No control

Acetic
acid test

Placed in
cooler
area

Placed in
warmer
area

Placed in no
oxygen(wat
er)

Placed in
a bowl
with
copper

10

20

30

40

50

60

1-No brown present

2-Slight or scant brown patches
3-half-covered light brown
4-fully covered brown
5-completely dark brown

Limitations: Going to be hard to observe the average colour change

Discussion: The browning is caused by the conversion of phenolic compounds to

melanin catalyzed by the enzyme polyphenol oxidase. Oxygen is required for the
reaction to occur, browning also increases with increasing temperature until the
polyphenol oxidase is inactivated. Ph, the optimal pH for the browning reaction is
between 5.0-7.0, if the pH is below 3.0, the enzyme will be in-activated.
Copper is necessary for the action of the polyphenol oxidase, other metal, such as
iron, also increase the rate of the reaction.
Acetic acid lower the pH, which decrease enzyme activity.

Reflection: The results were found to be close to what I thought would happen.
The no control test took its time to browning showing how without external help the
fruit can browning at a decent rate, the Acetic acid test showed how the you can
slow down the process of browning by a lot maybe even stop the process of
browning at all. The enzymes can still do their thing in the fridge, but they are
much slower at low temperatures. By the same token, dont set your sliced apples
by the heater; warm cozy temps (up to about 104F) make the enzymes work even
faster. Water: Dunking your cut fruits in plain water is often very helpful in slowing
browning. The layer of water helps limit oxygens access to the cell surfaces. A
dunking in simple syrup (a mixture of sugar: water) will achieve the same effect
with a little added sweetness and perhaps a bit more staying power if the surfaces
are left out long enough to dry (the syrup should leave a bit of a film). Some people
recommend dunking in water, then dredging in dry powdered or granulated sugar.
For me that would be too sweet, but that should work at least as well as plain water.
Copper and iron these metals help the browning enzyme do its job.

Conclusion: All the tests was done showing how u can either speed up the rate of
browning or slow the rate of browning.

Journal: A future lab I would like to do is what happens when you microwave a fruit.