| Food & Ingredients | | | Educ. Serv. | | | Tech Serv. | | | Market Serv. | | | E-Commerce Serv. |
|---|
Return to
Flavor Index
Phenolic Compounds
Physiology
Sensitivity
Glossary
| What affects the amount of browning? | to Top |
The amount of browning depends on the concentration and nature of polyphenol compounds that are present. (Ho, et.al., 1992) Enzymatic activity determines the amount of initial browning. Substrates also determine what color the discoloration will be. Apples, apricots, peaches and pears will turn brown but never black. But bananas and potatoes will first turn pink and then brown and will eventually turn black, which is the polymer melanin. (Paul and Palmer, 1972)
The maturity of a fruit is a factor in the amount of browning in a fruit or vegetable. Persimmons, apples, potatoes and bananas have been shown to increase in browning as they ripen, but then decrease as the amount of substrate decreases with maturity. (Paul and Palmer, 1972) Different varieties of the same fruit or vegetable may brown at different rates. (Sapers, et.al., 1989),(Goupy, et.al., 1995), (Al-Saikhan, et.al., 1995)
Different preparation methods can affect the amount of browning. With potatoes, a sharp knife will cause less tissue damage than abrasive peeling or steam peeling and so will not show as much browning. (Sapers and Miller, 1993) Freezing a fruit or vegetable will cause damage to tissues and so when the temperature rises and enzymes are active again, more browning will occur.
ENZYMATIC BROWNING INHIBITORS: FACTORS WHICH INTERFERE OR PREVENT POLYPHENOLOXIDASE FROM OXIDIZING PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS IN TISSUES AND CREATING BROWNISH POLYMERS. June 3, 1996 by Connie Robertson and Gina Christensen
| IMAGES | to Top |
| REFERENCES | to Top |
Updated: Sunday, March 30, 2008.
OSU Disclaimer.