You cut a piece of fruit like an apple, and you store it in the fridge or bring it to work, but when you go to enjoy it, it is all brown and not too appetizing. When you cut a piece of fruit, the fruit sends chemical, electrical and hormonal signals through itself to defend and heal itself. These processes cause the fruit to turn brown or otherwise makes them less appealing, explains Olusola Lamikanra, a chemist from the USDA Agricultural Research Service. However, you can use a few tricks to slow down the browning of your sliced fruit.
Step 1
Heat the fruit before cutting it. Lamikanra took cantaloupes from the 40-degree Fahrenheit temperature they were stored in and heated them in a 144-degree water bath for one hour. He then cooled them back to 40 degrees before cutting them. The resulting cut fruit stayed fresher longer.
Step 2
Cut fruit in water to prevent the browning process. Lamikanra explains that water prevents the signals sent within the fruit and washes away enzymes that will break down the fruit.
Step 3
Dry the fruit slices before storing them, since the moisture can cause them to go bad more quickly.
Step 4
Store the cut-up fruit in containers. Try Debbie Meyer GreenBags, which are meant to prevent fruits and vegetables from going bad too quickly. These bags reduce ethylene, a gas let off by the produce that causes them to go bad. Other options are the Rubbermaid Produce Saver plastic containers or the OSO Fresh Magical Food Containers, or any similar containers designed to make produce last longer. However, Valerie Phillips of the Deseret News explains that regular storage containers seem to work just as well.
Step 5
Add some lemon juice to the container with the sliced fruit, which prevents it from turning brown as fast. You only need about 1 tsp. for a small to medium piece of fruit.
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