Delilah Bisase: Chlorophyll and Enzymatic Browning Lab 4

Date: October 23, 2015

Purpose: To examine the effect of different storing methods on chlorophyll in green beans, and
to observe how different environments can have an impact on enzymatic browning in apples.
Experimental Procedures: Materials and procedures provided by Maryann.
Results:
Factors Affecting Chlorophyll
Product
Liquid (color)
Bean (color)
Fresh

neon
Green-yellow

Frozen

Matte, cloudy, a true

green

Healthy grass green

Deeper, richer, more
intense green

Very bright, but not

neon
Vibrant green
Canned
Dark yellow, no hint of Olive green
green at all, resembles
urine
Enzymatic Oxidative Browning
Product
Flavor / Appearance
Exposed to air
Lemon juice
Sugar
Blanched

Flavor

Texture

Stronger, hint of sweet,

most intense/complex of
all 3
Astringent
Similar characteristics of
fresh, but mild version
A bit bland
Mild, but not as mild as
the frozen

Crunchy, firm,
juicy, but not
watery- from
natural juices
Soft, watery

Sweet / browning
Sour, only mildly sweet / no
browning
Most intense sweetness / no
browning
Little to no sweetness, very mild /
no browning

Softest, and the

most watery

Texture
Moderately crunchy/ crisp
Most firm. Most crisp when
snapped, most crunch
Moderately crunchy/ crisp
Softest, almost rubbery, no
crispness and doesnt easily snap
when bent. No crunch at all, can feel
the graininess

Discussion:
Chlorophyll
The stark differences in appearance are a result of the various storing methods, ie: canned vs
frozen vs fresh. Color and texture were majorly affected. The olive green color is a result of the
reaction of chlorophyll in the presence of heat and acidity. If the acidic solution were to be
replaced with an alkaline solution, in this same scenario, the vegetable would retain its vibrant
green color, however the texture would become compromised and mushy due to the conversion
of chlorophyll to chlorophyllin as a result of the loss of the phytol group, (Batten, 2015). The
structural integrity of the green bean decreases with freshness. The fresh beans were the firmest

Delilah Bisase: Chlorophyll and Enzymatic Browning Lab 4

and the canned the least firm; this could be a result of the cellulose of the plant wall degrading
after withstanding the different storing methods. Since it is not realistic for the entire population
to consistently have access to fresh produce, methods such as freezing, canning, and drying, are
employed to protect and prolong produce quality. Often fresh vegetables are viewed as having a
superior nutrient quality to their frozen and canned counterparts, however; research indicates that
that it not always the case (Rickman, Barrett, and Bruhn, 2007). Nutrient losses vary by the
vegetable and storing and cooking methods. Initially the blanching that occurs prior to freezing
vegetables has little impact on nutrient loses, but the proceeding storage and cooking can incur
more nutrient losses to oxidation and heat respectively. The longevity of canned vegetables is
due to the lack of oxygen in the can, whereas fresh and frozen vegetables are susceptible to
degradation by oxygen. For water-soluble vitamins, the high heat in the canning can decrease
their amount in a vegetable, but on the other hand the cooking and storing of fresh and frozen
vegetables can also contribute to nutrient losses. Its important to understand this dynamic, so
that focus can shift away from the source of the vegetable (ie: fresh, frozen, canned) and towards
the actual consumption of vegetables.
Enzymatic Browning
After cutting a fruit, the polyphenol oxidases (PPO) of the fruit react with incoming oxygen to
oxidize the fruits phenolic compounds, this oxidation creates the browning we see (Brady, 2015).
Commercial products such as Balls Fruit-Fresh Produce Protector perform the same
protective function against enzymatic browning that was observed by the sugar and lemon juice.
Sugar and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) are two very different molecules that use their unique
characteristics to protect against enzymatic browning. These qualities have implications for how
they can be used in food service and production. Ascorbic acid protects because vitamin C is an
antioxidant which disrupts the activity of the fruits polyphenol oxidases, hence preventing the
browning process (Brady, 2015). Sugar slows oxygen entry into the cells, and thereby delaying
browning. Commercial anti-browning products may contain both sugar and ascorbic acid. After
reviewing their mechanisms, we can understand why it is ideal to create a product that employs
the benefits of both compounds, rather than just one or the other. The combination of ascorbic
acid and sugar is not only good for the anti-browning products efficiency, but it also ties into to
how the various flavors affect one another. Sweet and sour have an inverse relationship,
meaning that sweet dulls the intensity of sour and sour dulls the intensity of sweet. By

Delilah Bisase: Chlorophyll and Enzymatic Browning Lab 4

combining the two in these types of products, it prevents one flavor from overpowering the
other, which is especially important for a product like this, since flavor should be minimally
detectable at most. Since these produce protecting products are meant to prevent browning, they
ideally should not be impact the fruits flavor.

Delilah Bisase: Chlorophyll and Enzymatic Browning Lab 4

References:
Batten, C. (2015). Plant Pigments and Compounds [PowerPoint slides]. San Francisco State
University
Brady, J.W. (2013). Introductory Food Chemistry. Hong Kong: Cornell University Press
Rickman, J.C., Barrett, D.M., Bruhn, C.M. (2007). Review: Nutritional comparison of fresh,
frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables. Part 1 vitamins C and B and phenolic
compounds. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 87, 930-944. Doi:
10.1002/jsfa.2825