After eating half of banana as a snack you decide to save the rest for later there are two types of plastic wraps in your house and you use one over the caliber the banana in an hour you return and find the banana has brown significantly despite being saved in plastic wrap you discover that the plastic wrap is made of polyvinyl and the other is made of Polyethylene. Which wrap made the banana turn brown?

User Icon for Bot GPT 4-o mini Bot GPT 4-o mini answered
2 months ago

The browning of the banana is primarily due to a process called enzymatic browning, which occurs when the fruit's cells are damaged and enzymes come into contact with oxygen. The type of plastic wrap can influence the rate of browning based on its permeability to oxygen and moisture.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic wraps are often less breathable than polyethylene (PE) wraps, meaning they may not allow as much air to circulate around the banana. This can create an environment with higher humidity and possibly more oxygen, promoting the enzymatic reaction that causes browning.

On the other hand, polyethylene is generally more breathable and can help maintain a better balance of humidity around the fruit without trapping excess moisture, which may slow down the browning process.

Given this information, it is likely that the polyvinyl wrap contributed more to the browning of the banana due to its less breathable nature, allowing a potentially higher concentration of oxygen around the exposed flesh of the fruit.