What prevents over-ripening of banana and browning of cut fruits?
A
Gibberellic acid
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B
Indole-3 acetic acid
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C
Ascorbic acid
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D
Abscisic acid
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Solution
The correct option is C Ascorbic acid
Lemon juice helps keep the apple from browning because it is full of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and it has a low (acidic) pH level. Ascorbic acid works because oxygen will react with it before it will react with the polyphenol oxidase. However, once the ascorbic acid gets used up, the oxygen will start reacting with the enzyme and browning will occur. Lemon juice's low pH level also helps prevent browning. Polyphenol oxidase works best when the pH level is between 5.0 and 7.0. However, below a pH level of 3.0, the enzyme becomes inactivated. The pH of lemon juice is in the 2.0 range, making it very effective against browning.
Hence Ascorbic acid prevents over-ripening of banana and browning of cut fruits.