Why do apples go brown? Apples contain an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase. When an apple is cut into, the polyphenol oxidase reacts with the oxygen in the air producing a browning effect. Everything created by nature has some sort of way of protecting itself from a threat that causes harm to it. An apple protects itself from fungi and other microorganism by producing a peel around itself and the enzyme. When the peel of the apple is penetrated, the apple uses the enzyme as a second layer of defense to protect itself from further damage. Browning of apples has a huge burden on the farmers and the consumers. Many people purchase apples based on the quality of an apple based on its outward appearance. A Canadian company called Okanagan Specialty Fruits, found a way to genetically engineer apples which do not turn brown. These apples are known Arctic Apples.
Okanagan Specialty Fruits was founded in 1996 by Neil Carter. It is a biotechnology company that focuses on using modern day science to create new fruits with new features. Neil Carter founded this company because he wanted to create good quality fruits for the consumers. For much of his year, he experimented with growing, harvesting, processing and storing many types of food like wheat. Throughout his life, he saw that bioethanol foods have the potential to save many lives around the world by solving the problem of food shortages. Through Okanagan Specialty Fruit, he and his company created Arctic apples because he saw a decline in the consumption and waste of apples which could solve problem of world hunger. .
Apples turn brown when cause any damage to it like dropping it. When dropping an apple, the cell walls inside burst open causing chemical reaction between the polyphenol oxidase and the phenolic producing ortho-quinone compound. The ortho-quinone produce melanin when it reacts with the oxygen in the air causing the brown color.
