Half Brown Banana? Here's Why It Happens

How to make a banana half brown?
Half Brown Banana? Here's Why It Happens
Made for parents and teachers

Hey, welcome back to Kids Fun Science! Today, we're doing a fascinating *science experiment* that teaches you *how to make* a banana half brown while the other half stays yellow. This *do it yourself* project is perfect for *science for kids**, offering a fun way to explore the **biology* behind fruit ripening and decomposition. Join us to discover the simple steps and the science behind this cool banana trick!

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Chapters
0:00 Kids Fun Science Intro
0:28 What you need
0:42 Set up
1:38 1st experiment Boiling half of a banana
2:28 1st experiment out of boiling water
2:58 2nd experiment hold banana over steam
3:24 2nd experiment out of the steam
3:32 End results on outside of banana
4:22 Make a prediction if inside will be brown
5:44 Science Behind it
6:27 Please like and Subscribe

Steps
1) Check that your skewer is wider than the pot.
2) Stick the skewer through the side of the banana, about halfway down its length.
3) So the skewer rests on the sides of the pot.
4) Fill the pot so it’s ⅔ full of water.
5) Turn on the stove. Wait until the water starts to boil.
6) Hold the banana with tongs and then put it on the pot, so one end of the banana is in the water. You may need to support the banana with the tongs to keep it in place.
7) Wait for 30 seconds and then use the tongs to pull the banana out.
8) Look at the banana. Can you tell which part was in the water?
9) Wait for 5 minutes and then look again at the banana. Did it change?
10) Peel the banana. Diid the water affect the edible part of the fruit, or just the peel?

WHAT YOU NEED:
POT
WATER
TONGS
SKEWER
BANANA (I used Dole banana)

The Science behind Half-Brown Banana

Unripe bananas are green, ripe ones are yellow and overripe bananas are brown. But can you make a banana that’s half brown and half yellow? When they get old, bananas go brown. They also go brown when they are bruised. But what causes the brownness?
It’s all down to a chemical called polyphenol oxidase (PPO). This chemical oxidises (adds oxygen to) a type of chemical called a phenol. These oxidised phenols then join together with other compounds to make brown colors.

Polyphenol oxidase is normally contained inside certain parts of plant cells. When the cells are damaged, the PPO escapes and starts the browning process. That’s why a bruised banana goes brown, and it’s also what happens in this experiment.
There are ways to stop the browning. PPO can’t oxidise anything without oxygen. In this activity, it’s why the banana doesn’t really go brown until it’s out of the water for a while. This exposes the banana to air and the oxygen it contains.

You can also stop the browning by destroying the PPO before it can start oxidising. One way to destroy PPO is to heat it up for several minutes. Why not try boiling a banana for over 10 minutes and see if it turns brown?

Special thanks to Double Helix for this experiment. Though I changed it to steam from boil it was fun experiment. Check them out here

Disclaimer:
Some of the above links are Amazon affiliate links from which I receive a small commission with each sale at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for the support.

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