Name: Katie N.
Status: Student
Age: 14
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: October 2003
Question:
Why do different fruits rot faster then others? e.g banana to a mandarin!
Replies:
The term "rotting" is rather diffuse. It can mean attack by various microbes, or it can
mean chemical changes within the fruit, by reaction with oxygen for example -- or both
simultaneously, or it may refer to bruising of the cellular structure. The pH of the fruit,
the amount of sugar (nutrients) present, the temperature, and many other factors all play a
roll in the "rotting" process, so it is difficult to pin point a single cause.
Vince Calder
Rotting of different fruits: The rate depends upon what microbes are on them to begin with
and what the chemical composition of the fruit is and what the water concentration of the
colonized surface is.
Jeannine M. Durdik
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
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