Reaction with Broccoli and Lemon juice

[ChelseaRhythm]

I work with food as a living. There is a dish we do with broccoli and lemon. To ‘stretch’ the lemon flavor I use lemon juice and a little water mixed with the broccoli. I noticed that when I mix it enough, the lemon juice turns reddish-orange. The lemon juice is 100% lemon juice- nothing else in it, and the broccoli is steamed. I played around with it and uncooked broccoli does not do this to the lemon juice, and broccoli that has been cooked but is cold does not make is as bright as hot broccoli. I thought it might be the lemon juice pulling up some sort of soap remains. It also does it in metal pans, and plastic containers. Can’t find anything about it on the internet, does anyone have some answers?

[hashemyemen]

Look, the one which was cooked,

From what you have types I see that:-

– You have used concentrated lemon juice which contains average acidic nature..

– And you have used broccoli in both forms, cooked and uncooked forms…

Let me give you the biological reason behind it:

You know that lemon juice and broccoli, both contain high amount of vitamins, and those vitamins serve as the active site of the enzymes present in broccoli and lemon juice…

Now look, when we cook broccoli, those vitamins will be lost and will be degraded, as a result, enzymes will not work at all as their active sites are damaged due to heating. Unlike that uncooked and fresh broccoli, its enzymes are quite active as the active sites still have got their vitamins present, and their enzymes are working powerfully..

Here, as you used acidic agent " lemon juice ", you will get three cases there:-

– When you mix lemon juice with fresh and uncooked broccoli, there will no formation of color or other pigmentation because the enzymes of the uncooked broccoli will be provided by their active sites " vitamins " and that will allow the biochemical activities to be carried out….

– When you mix lemon juice with cooked and hot broccoli, there will change in the color because vitamins are degraded due to heat, and no ability for the enzymes to carry out the biochemical reaction leading to the formation of reddish-orange color, and you must know that as the broccoli is hot, much more vitamins will be degraded making enzymes unable to perform their activities…

– When you mix lemon juice with cooked and cold broccoli, there will not be so much change in the color because some are restored and they can serve as an active sites for the enzymes, thus again the enzymes will carry out some of the biochemical reaction….

Last point, when those biochemical reaction are disturbed in the living thing, there will formation of colors, and other changes in the structures as well….

Hmmmmm, I hope that you got it….

[JackBean]

if you cook enzymes, you primarily denature the enzymes

ChelseaRhythm: did you try to keep it standing for few days separated?

[hashemyemen]

[quote="JackBean"]if you cook enzymes, you primarily denature the enzymes

😀 Degradation in this case followed by denaturation…

[ChelseaRhythm]

quote JackBean:

if you cook enzymes, you primarily denature the enzymes

ChelseaRhythm: did you try to keep it standing for few days separated?

Nope, It was pretty much instant. No standing.

[JackBean]

try it. I think it will get darker in some time

[hashemyemen]

hmmm, You can check that what told you is right or not by trying the same procedure with Steamed broccoli, or some other type of vegetable, and you will fine the again the color will be changed… It is almost assumed….

[ChelseaRhythm]

Cool thanks all. And the broccoli was steamed, I’ll try it with spinach etc. next time. Probably will get fired for jacking around at work, but that’s okay, at least I’m learning cool stuff. ^_^

[hashemyemen]

quote ChelseaRhythm:

Cool thanks all. And the broccoli was steamed, I’ll try it with spinach etc. next time. Probably will get fired for jacking around at work, but that’s okay, at least I’m learning cool stuff. ^_^

that is really good to try it more and more, it will give good experience and you would discover something new if do your experiments with good knowledge about what you do..

Best of Luck

[mith]

https://www.msu.edu/~lentnerd/NewFiles/ … -Bac-26710

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