An Australian housewife cut an orange, the flesh of which soon turned bright purple. But don't worry: scientists have found an explanation for this phenomenon.
In early September, Brisbane resident Neti Moffitt cut an orange bought at a convenience store for her two-year-old son. However, the next morning, the remaining slices turned bright purple, although the orange tasted the most common.
“It looked like someone had dipped this orange in ink. But we do not and have never had ink,”Neti told reporters. A similar case occurred in Australia in 2015, and the answer was never found. Fearing for the child's health, Neti turned to health officials, and now they have presented the results of the study.
The Queensland Department of Health laboratory analyzed not only the remaining lobules, but also the knife and scissors. According to experts, purple is the result of the activation of anthocyanins - colored pigments found in orange. It is anthocyanins that often determine the color of the petals of flowers, fruits and autumn leaves, giving them purple, blue, pink, brown or red color. The activation of this process is not fully understood, and the case of the orange contributes to its study.
In the purple areas of the fetus, an increased concentration of iron and other metals was found. Apparently, orange pigments entered into a chemical reaction with metal microparticles on a freshly sharpened knife. Experts emphasize that neither the changed pigment nor traces of metal pose a threat to health.
Anastasia Barinova
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