oxidized fruit

Kookaburra · Post by **Kookaburra** » Tue 30 Mar 2010 12:27

Sometimes, halfway through eating an apple, I felt that my blood sugar level has been satisfied. Then I saw that the apple has oxidized - became brown. I did not want to waste it, so I stored it in a glass container back into the fridge.

Question is - what happens when fruit is oxidized? Are some of the nutrients lost? Is it okay to eat the oxidized fruit?

YouTube · Post by **RRM** » Tue 30 Mar 2010 16:02

Yes, some of the nutrients get lost (as they oxidize),
but its nothing radical, as its only the exposed surface.
Also nothing bad going on, as fruits like apples hardly contain any fats that may get rancid.
So, yes, you can still perfectly eat that apple.

Kookaburra · Post by **Kookaburra** » Wed 31 Mar 2010 01:13

What about other fruits, like mango, cucumbers and tomatoes? You know, fruits in general.

YouTube · Post by **RRM** » Wed 31 Mar 2010 10:12

The same here.

Kookaburra · Post by **Kookaburra** » Wed 07 Apr 2010 07:15

Just few minutes ago, I peeled open a ripe mango and saw bubbles foaming at one end. There's a very soft hissing sound. Is that oxidization?

YouTube · Post by **RRM** » Wed 07 Apr 2010 09:23

No, thats the forming of alcohol.
Not dangerous at all.
If it still tastes good to some extend, you can eat it.

Kookaburra · Post by **Kookaburra** » Wed 07 Apr 2010 09:37

What causes alcohol to be formed? I thought it is found only in beer, wine, vodka etc. I didn't know there is alcohol in fruit too. I don't feel drunk after eating a fruit. Why is it alcohol in beer is dangerous but not alcohol in fruit?

YouTube · Post by **RRM** » Wed 07 Apr 2010 10:20

Kookaburra wrote:What causes alcohol to be formed? I thought it is found only in beer, wine, vodka etc. I didn't know there is alcohol in fruit too.

Once the fruit has fully ripened, eventually and gradually some fermentation may (in anaerobic conditions) occur,
which is the conversion of sugars to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids, by yeasts and/or bacteria.
Thats why you can make wine from grapes.
Sugars > ethanol + carbon dioxide (bubbles).
Ethanol (alcohol) is thus a fermentation product and degraded in the blood.

I don't feel drunk after eating a fruit. Why is it alcohol in beer is dangerous but not alcohol in fruit?

The amount of ethanol in fermented fruits is extremely low.
For a 'good' amount of ethanol you need 35 to 40 °C, starchy foods and a ethanol-tolerant yeast culture.
Ethanol is degraded in the body.
Ethanol > acetaldehyde > acetic acid.
Acetaldehyde is toxic, but rapidly converted into acetic acid when the levels are low.
The levels in fermented fruits are so low that there is no danger at all.

oxidized fruit

oxidized fruit

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