Scientists finally have an explanation as to why an orange turned purple moments after the buyer cut it open.
Following a steady flow of negative fruit-related stories coming out of Australia like the strawberry-needle sabotage, this fruit story has a better ending.
After taking samples from the buyer's home including orange scraps, a knife and a sharpener, they were sent to a lab to be analysed by scientists at Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services.
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Turns out, it was simply a reaction the orange had with iron from the knife sharpener.
When the chemical anthocyanin, which is present in oranges, reacts with iron, it creates a reaction that is unharmful but changes the pigments in the orange to the colour purple.
The buyer was relieved to find out the orange, although purple, was not at all harmful to her or her family.
Scientists told ABC News that it was a nice change from the blood, urine, water and soil they usually see in the lab.
Newshub.
