Time Course ofPPO-Related Browning of Yams

The time course of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and tissue browning was investigated in five Dioscorea species. In three of the yam species, 86% of the browning was associated with the peak of PPO activity. In D dumentorum and D rotundata, only 9 and 40%, respectively, of browning was PPO-related, while most of the tissue browning occurred after PPO activity had declined to the control value. The browning incidence was temperature-dependent such that the optimal temperature for PPO activity (30°C) also coincided with that of maximal browning in all the yam species expect in D dumentorum. Classical inhibitors of PPO prevented the browning in tissues where the enzymic mechanism predominated while failing to reduce browning in D dumentorum and D rotundata where most of tissue browning was not enzyme associated. The results put the incidence of yam discolouration in proper perspective in terms of the timescale of PPO and non-PPO-catalysed discolouration.