# White Apple-Juice **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-apple-juice/371724 "2006-09-07T01:00:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hans\_Lemurson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/87869e/32.png) [@Hans\_Lemurson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hans_Lemurson)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-apple-juice/371724/1 "2006-09-07T01:00:05Z")
Why is apple-juice brown? The flesh of an apple is white, and the juice that comes immediately from it is also clear in color. Exposed to the air however, the flesh begins to take on a brownish hue (from oxidation). When the juice is extracted from the apples, is is similarly vulnerable to this oxidation and browning? Furthermore, most apple-sauce sold in stores is _not_ brown, thought it has doubtless been exposed to sufficient air to cause this. On the label on the back, one of the ingredients listed is Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C) “to protect color”. Presumably, the presence of Ascorbic acid (or any acid?) interferes with the browning process (can it reverse it as well?). So, here is the crux of my question: Would the usage of Ascorbic acid in Apple-juice preparation allow you to produce an apple-juice that is clear, or at least very pale? (And would anybody _want_ it?) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-apple-juice/371724/2 "2006-09-07T01:41:31Z")
Apple juice is yellow, at least 'round here. [QUOTE=Ned Flanders] If it’s clear and yella’, you’ve got juice there, fella! If it’s tangy and brown, you’re in cider town! [/QUOTE] Ascorbic acid is an antioxidant, although I don’t know if it operates on the same principle with sliced apples as well as juice. However, it _is_ common to preserve sliced apples in a fruit salad by sprinkling the salad with citrus juice. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-apple-juice/371724/3 "2006-09-07T02:53:02Z")
[QUOTE=Hans Lemurson] Why is apple-juice brown?.. [/QUOTE] Enzymatic browning. There’s a nice little description of the process here: [Why Do Cut Apples Pears Bananas and Potatoes Turn Brown?](http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/brownapplefaq.htm) > [@](#): > > Apples and other produce (e.g., pears, bananas, peaches, potatoes) contain an enzyme (called polyphenol oxidase or tyrosinase) that reacts with oxygen and iron-containing phenols that are also found in the apple. Vastly more detail than you probably want here: [Enzymatic Browning in Fruits, Vegetables and Seafoods](http://www.fao.org/ag/Ags/agsi/ENZYMEFINAL/Enzymatic%20Browning.html) Apple juice remains vulnerable to browning until you inactivate the enzyme that causes it. That can be done by lowering the pH, chelating the metal required for activity, or cooking the juice. Apple sauce is usually made from cooked apples, rather than mashed _then_ cooked, so browning isn’t much of a problem there. Ascorbic acid is often added to things to control redox potential and **non** enzymatic browning. Apple juice in the states is all pasteurized and yellow. It’s hard to find good brown cider i.e. nonpasteurized apple juice, especially since they [passed a freakin law](http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C03EED8123BF932A25753C1A96E958260). Cecil covers the confusing terminology here: [What’s the difference between apple juice and apple cider?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_048.html) ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-apple-juice/371724/4 "2006-09-07T10:45:07Z")
Over here, we have “normal” apple-juice, which is yellow, and “natural” apple-juice, which is brown, because it still has some semi-solid stuff in there, which has been filtered from the normal juice. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-apple-juice/371724/5 "2006-09-07T19:25:23Z")
So basically your apple or your apple juice… is rusting. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-apple-juice/371724/6 "2006-09-07T21:05:47Z")
White apple juice could be a mix of 10% apple juice and 90% white grape juice. :eek: