所以你尝到的口感是面的，而不是香味迸发。
That gets worse as the apple dries out.
而苹果变干后，情况会更糟。
Without moisture, the cells shrivel—and biting into those shriveled cells is like trying to pop a deflated balloon.
苹果失去水分后，细胞缩水，咬下去的感觉就像试图扎破一个瘪掉的气球。
The cells are less likely to burst and release their flavor.
细胞不容易破裂，释放苹果香味。
And the more mature an apple is, the more it dries out.
而且苹果越熟，越容易变干。
Plus, the cold air inside a refrigerator speeds up the drying process, since it holds less moisture than warmer air.
外加冰箱里的冷气加速了变干的过程，因为相较热空气，冷空气里含水量更少。
So research suggests that if you want to save an apple for a few weeks, your best bet is to pop it in the fridge right away, before it becomes too mature.
所以有研究提出，如果一个苹果想要保存几星期，做好的办法是在苹果变得过熟之前尽快放进冰箱。
But the same rule doesn't apply to all potentially-mealy fruits.
但是这条建议并不适用于所有可能会变面的水果。
Soft fruits, like peaches and nectarines, can become mealy if you refrigerate them too soon.
偏软的水果，如桃子和油桃，过早放入冰箱反而容易变面。
That's because their mealy texture is tied to the breakdown of a substance called pectin.
因为与它们变面有关的是果胶这种物质的溶解。
Pectin is a carbohydrate in cell walls that fruit generates as it ripens.
水果成熟时会生成果胶，这是细胞壁中的一种碳水化合物。
It strengthens cell walls and makes them stick together.
它能强化细胞壁，使它们紧密连接在一起。
But pectin can dissolve in water.
但是果胶可溶于水。
And over time, as it dissolves, the cell walls lose their strength.
随着时间的推移，果胶慢慢溶解，细胞壁变得不再强韧。
In some fruits, pectin doesn't just dissolve, either—it also gets broken into pieces by enzymes.
而在一些水果中，果胶并不只是溶解，它还会被酶分解成小块。
And that's a good thing.
这是好事。
Under normal conditions, the cell walls weaken through these processes, and the fruit becomes nice and soft.
在正常情况下，水果细胞壁在上述过程后软化，使水果变得柔软美味。
So then when you bite into it, the cell walls burst and release their juice just like a proper fruit.
所以你一口咬下，细胞壁破裂流出果汁，这是水果的最佳状态。
But as soon as you stick these fruits in the fridge, that natural process starts to veer off track.
而一旦你把这些水果放进冰箱，自然的成熟流程开始脱轨。
In general, low temperatures slow down chemical reactions, so if you keep fruit cold, its pectin molecules break down less.
简单来说，低温放慢了化学反应，所以如果将水果冷藏，果胶溶解程度变低。
And that means the cell walls hold up when you bite into them, so whole cells break apart, rather than bursting.
这意味着，一口咬下，细胞壁还是完整的，细胞之间完整地分离，而不是破裂。
And you get a sad, mealy mouthful.
满口都是面软水果，太难过了。
But not all fruits will come out of the fridge equally pathetic.
但不是所有水果从冰箱里拿出来都不好吃。
Different kinds have different compounds attached to the pectin molecule, so they often ripen differently.
不同的水果的果胶分子构成不同，它们的成熟流程通常也不同。
And as a result, they also react differently to refrigeration.
因此，水果冷藏后，结果是不一样的。
Still, as a general rule, fruits that continue to soften after they're harvested—like peaches, nectarines, cantaloupe, and tomatoes—should only be refrigerated after they're fully ripened if you want to avoid that gross, grainy texture.
不过，有个基本规律，像桃子、油桃、哈密瓜和西红柿这类采摘收割后会继续变软的水果，如果你不想吃到口感很差的面软水果，那一定要在其熟透后再放进冰箱。
Unfortunately, you can't always know what happened to your fruit before it got to the store.
可惜的是，很多时候只有在储藏后，你才知道水果会变什么样。
And from the outside, it's impossible to tell which fruit already has a mealy texture.
而且从外表看，无法判断哪个水果已经变面了。
But you can make sure it's not your fault that it becomes mealy by storing it at the right time.
但是学会在合适的时候储藏，水果变面就不是你的错。
Thank you for watching this episode of SciShow!
感谢收看本期《科学秀》！
If you liked this episode and you want to learn about another reason we end up with disappointing fruit, you might be interested in this video about why apples turn brown.
如果你喜欢本期视频，并且想了解水果变差的另一个原因，你或许会对《为什么苹果会变褐色》这个视频感兴趣。返回搜狐，查看更多