how to stop apples browning

Apples, no matter how fresh and crisp they are, aren't very attractive once they've turned brown, which takes anywhere from two to five minutes on average.
Unfortunately, browning not only makes an apple seem unpleasant, but it also changes the flavor and nutritional content of the fruit.

The question is, why does your favorite fall fruit turn brown so quickly?
When an apple is chopped, enzymes (as well as iron present in the apple) chemically react with oxygen. The fruit's flesh immediately begins to oxidize and become brown as a result of this process. To put it another way, the apple begins to rot right in front of your eyes.

Why Do Apples Turn Brown

Fruit turns brown when exposed to air because a reaction is happening when a cut piece of fruit is exposed to oxygen. This is calledenzymatic browning. The name enzymatic browning comes from the fact that an enzyme located in the fruit reacts with oxygen from the air to turn the fruit brown.

The chemical reaction can be simplified to:

Polyphenol Oxidase + O2 → Melanin (Brown Color)

Oxygen activates the compound polyphenol oxidase in the fruit to turn the fruit brown. Polyphenol oxidase is the enzyme.

How to stop apples browning

While browned fruit is okay to eat, it doesn't look appealing (just ask your kids what they think of brown apple slices in their lunchboxes).

Fortunately, it's simple to keep apples from becoming yellow or brown. Using this easy trick will allow you to enjoy some of the most beautiful apples.


Method 1: Soak the Slices in Saltwater

You may remember from chemistry that salt is also called sodium chloride. Its namesake chemical components keep oxygen from reaching the surface of the slices. After all, it’s nature’s oldest preservative. Just be super careful not to add *too* much salt. Using ½ teaspoon or less in a cup of water will get the job done without altering the apple’s taste.

- Wash and slice the apple.
- Dissolve the salt in cold water.
- Add the apple slices to the saltwater and let them soak for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Drain, rinse and dry the apples. Eat or store for later.

Method 2: Dip the Apple Slices in Lemon Juice

It’s the oldest trick in the book. Lemon juice’s high acidity and low pH deactivates the enzyme that causes browning. Essentially, the acid reacts with the enzyme before the enzyme and oxygen have a chance to react with the apple. Ever wonder why store-bought apple slices are always so white and crunchy? They’re often treated with ascorbic acid, citric acid or sulfites—lemon juice (another acid) works the same way.

Give the apples a quick spritz of lemon juice, or dilute a few drops of lemon juice in water and soak the apple slices. No fresh lemons? Try bottled lemon juice, lemonade or even orange juice—as long as it’s acidic, it’ll slow browning. Vinegar works too because of its acidity, but it’ll potentially impart a more unpleasant taste than these other alternatives. If you’re freezing farmers market Honeycrisps for a future batch of applesauce or apple bread, lemon juice is your best bet.

- Wash and slice the apple.
- Fill a small bowl with cold water and the juice of half a lemon.
- Dip the slices into the mixture. Eat or store for later.

Method 3: Submerge the Slices in Liquid

It works like a charm if you don't have any of the other quick fixes on hand. The idea here is that the oxidation process can’t start if the apples aren’t exposed—and they can’t be exposed while in liquid. Some swear by soaking apples for 3 to 5 minutes in a ginger ale or lemon-lime soda that contains citric acid, but we like avoiding the extra sugar and using club soda or water.

- Wash and slice the apple.
- Fill a bowl with cold water and add the apple slices.
- Top the bowl with a paper towel. Once it’s wet, it will submerge the floating slices.
- Remove the slices after about 10 to 15 minutes. Dry and enjoy, or shake dry and store for later.

Method 4: Submerge the Slices in Honey Water

Thanks to a peptide compound found in honey, this method deactivates the browning enzyme. Cook’s Illustrated found that a good soak kept the slices white for more than a day while a 30-second dunk kept browning at bay for eight hours. This trick also works for veggies like potatoes and other fruits like pears. (And it tastes good to boot.)

- Wash and slice the apple.
- Dissolve 2 tablespoons honey in 1 cup water.
- Dunk the slices in honey water for at least 30 seconds and no more than a few minutes.
- Remove, rinse and eat or store for later.


Conclusion.
Many of these ways can extend the time before an apple's browning begins by at least an extra hour or two. When it comes to apple slices, you don't have to eat them all in one sitting, and you can keep them looking their best for a much longer period of time than you would with untreated apples.

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