It's pumpkin-carvin' time! How early do you let your kids carve their pumpkins? My 8 year old has been asking to do hers for a week now. When is too soon?
A non-carved, freshly picked pumpkin will last approximately 8 to 12 weeks, assuming it is healthy and without diseases. However, once carved it's a whole different story. Let's take a look at the video below, which shows a time lapse of a pumpkin starting on Oct 31st. By November 9th it has lost it's firmness and is starting to fold in on itself. Once early December rolls around you can start seeing mold growing on the exterior surface. The video ends sometime in February with a completely sunken and rotten pumpkin, which they then light on fire.
Let's now look at why this happens. A pumpkin naturally has a very hard exterior. Similar to the rind of an apple or orange, this acts as a protection barrier, keeping the fruit inside free of diseases. Once cut open, or carved in this case, you open the gate for any bacteria, fungi, and mold to enter. The presence of these microorganisms will cause the rotting process to begin.
It has been proposed that the cause of the discoloration of pumpkins after being carved is the process of oxidation. Similar to apples, once the tissue of a pumpkin has been cut it is exposed to oxygen. The polyphenol oxidase (PPO), shown in the oxidation reaction below, contains 4 atoms of copper per molecule, which is what gives it a browning color (Bello and Sule, 2012). This enzyme is widely found in plants, but only catalyzes the oxidation reaction when exposed to oxygen.
There are many ways to increase the life of your carved pumpkin, including throwing it in your fridge when not on display, rubbing it with lemon juice along the carved edges, or soaking it in bleach. But at the end of the day, leaving the carving to the last minute is your best option (you're welcome to all of the procrastinators out there!)
Comment below with your carving ideas for this year! These were our masterpieces from last year.
www.northerncheminc.com
Northernchem Inc
A non-carved, freshly picked pumpkin will last approximately 8 to 12 weeks, assuming it is healthy and without diseases. However, once carved it's a whole different story. Let's take a look at the video below, which shows a time lapse of a pumpkin starting on Oct 31st. By November 9th it has lost it's firmness and is starting to fold in on itself. Once early December rolls around you can start seeing mold growing on the exterior surface. The video ends sometime in February with a completely sunken and rotten pumpkin, which they then light on fire.
Let's now look at why this happens. A pumpkin naturally has a very hard exterior. Similar to the rind of an apple or orange, this acts as a protection barrier, keeping the fruit inside free of diseases. Once cut open, or carved in this case, you open the gate for any bacteria, fungi, and mold to enter. The presence of these microorganisms will cause the rotting process to begin.
It has been proposed that the cause of the discoloration of pumpkins after being carved is the process of oxidation. Similar to apples, once the tissue of a pumpkin has been cut it is exposed to oxygen. The polyphenol oxidase (PPO), shown in the oxidation reaction below, contains 4 atoms of copper per molecule, which is what gives it a browning color (Bello and Sule, 2012). This enzyme is widely found in plants, but only catalyzes the oxidation reaction when exposed to oxygen.
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| Oxidation Reaction (Belitz et al. 2009) |
There are many ways to increase the life of your carved pumpkin, including throwing it in your fridge when not on display, rubbing it with lemon juice along the carved edges, or soaking it in bleach. But at the end of the day, leaving the carving to the last minute is your best option (you're welcome to all of the procrastinators out there!)
Comment below with your carving ideas for this year! These were our masterpieces from last year.
www.northerncheminc.com
Northernchem Inc
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