AUBERGINES

The purple colour of aubergines is due to many pigments, main of all being nasunin (named after the Japanese name for eggplant: 'nasubi'). This pigment has been drawn on the aubergine at the front; the compound can exist in two very similar-looking forms (called isomers), but the one drawn is the most stable form.

A very curious fact is that aubergines have a spongy texture due to tiny air pockets between the cells; I have shown this on the back-left aubergine, which is 'fragmented'. This is the reason why, when they are cooked, they shrink and soak up cooking oil. To prevent this, salt can be added to the aubergines to draw out the water into the air pockets; this is shown in the back-centre aubergine, where sodium chloride (table salt) is written.

Phenolic compounds (the general compound is drawn on the far-right side of the paper on the last aubergine) cause the bitter flavour of eggplants. This information was more challenging to show visually, but I figured out a subtle way of incorporating it with the help of the dictionary. On Google, there are two definitions for 'bitter': having a sharp, pungent smell; and feeling or showing anger, hurt or resentment because of bad experiences or a sense of unjust treatment. Clearly, the article I read meant the first definition, but I used the second one for the purpose of the drawing. In English Literature, this would be called personification. A bitter person usually doesn't want to stay near others for a time until their mood has improved; here, the bitter aubergine is far from the other aubergines.

When cut, the cells in the aubergine release enzymes that oxidise these phenolic compounds, leading to the formation of brown polymers. I have drawn a brown circle at the front to show a slice of aubergine; inside, I have drawn simplified polymer chains. The phenolic compounds, which cause the eggplant to be bitter, have now been broken down; hence why, the brown is closer to the other aubergines again.

On the last note, I have drawn a background that resembles the backdrop of still-life drawings of fruit bowls (a plain colour at the back and some cloth under the fruit). I made it green to signify the colour of their leaves and I drew them in with a white coloured pencil (this way they are not attracting the focus of the viewer away from the main subjects). These leaves only surround the 'happy' aubergines; they sort of amplify the sulking of the bitter aubergine.

Reference for the website used for research: https://www.compoundchem.com/2018/08/22/aubergine/