How do you keep cut up apples from turning brown?

You can use a little bit of lemon juice or a little bit of a clear soft drink, such as Sprite or 7-UP to preserve the color of your fruit. The citric acid is what keeps the apple from turning brown. You can also buy a product called "fruit fresh" in the grocery store, which is a powder you can sprinkle on fresh fruit, but why spend extra money when you don't need to?

BTW, good for you for brown-bagging it and eating healthfully as well!

When you cut open an apple, an enzyme (tyrosinase) in the flesh reacts with oxygen to turn polyphenols into melanin (the same pigment that makes you tan). Here's how to halt the process so your apples stay bright and white.

1. Cut open your apple, that may be in small slices or halves.

2. Slice up half a lemon using a clean knife.

3. Squeeze the pulp/juice out of it. This may be using a lemon squeezer or your hands.

4. Empty the fresh lemon juice into a cup or a bowl.

5. Take a small pipette if you have one. Otherwise a teaspoon will do.

6. Sprinkle little droplets of lemon juice all evenly over your apple slices.

7. Put your apple slices onto a plate or in a container to save for later. You now have fresh apple slices which won't turn brown before you have the chance to eat them!

There is an item called fruit fresh on the market that you can put on fruits that are notorious for turning brown. You might also try a little lemon juice with water, but that might alter the taste too much for a child. I ran into the same thing with my kids so I eventually just made applesauce with my apples and put them in little tiny rubbermaid dishes with a spoon. They enjoyed that very well because we could give them a twist by adding a little cinnamon, or add in some chopped walnuts, or add some berries in it which turned the color. It was fun and creative on their parts to come up with different ideas. Good luck.

After you cut them, place them in a bowl of water with some vinegar. (Take care to not add too much vinegar that it affects the flavor of the apple) Leave them in for 10-30 mins. Pat dry with a paper towl and put into your container.

This will help to keep your apples from turning brown, but it isn't a cure. Your apples will still turn a bit brown, but not as much as if you did nothing.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

all good answers.

if you're putting them in a little baggie

put some lemon juice and water together (as much as you like, dont overdo it though)

and pour it in the bag with the cut up apples

(just make sure the bag isnt filled to the top, you want it filled to less than half.

so not half the bag, but a little less.

you wouldnt want the liquids pouring out

but make sure the apples are getting a generous amount :)

I buy lemon juice(small bottle) put it in a spray bottle. Spray each layer. When I'm done cutting, I put all in tupperware and gently toss and swirl the container.

Dip them in orange juice after you cut them its the citric acid and wont change the taste.

Sprinkle them with cinnamon

squeeze lemon juice on them.