The Canadian specialty fruit company, Okanagan, has a way to modify the genetics of apples and other fruits to prevent them from browning. The company licensed the technology from Australian researchers, who pioneered it in potatoes, and is asking the USDA for approval to sell the apple in the States.
So why does fruit brown in the first place? Apples and other fruits, including pears, bananas and peaches, contain a chemical compound that consists partly of iron. These fruits also contain certain proteins, called enzymes, that accelerate chemical reactions. So when you slice an apple, the enzyme speeds up the reaction between oxygen in the air and the iron-containing compound. The chemical reaction that occurs is similar to what happens when metal rusts, and alas, the apple turns brown.
Okanagan's genetic modification silences the browning reaction.
You may be asking yourself, why would anyone go to such lengths to stop apples and other fruits from browning? I did. But Okanagan specializes in providing fresh-cut, packaged fruit for sale in supermarket delis and fast food restaurants, to name a few. Obviously, brown fruit doesn't sell as well as fresh-looking fruit. And other methods to reduce browning, such as adding antioxidants, add cost to a company's bottom line.
But as as Todd Fryhover, president of the apple commission in Washington state, told the Huffington Post, "Genetically modified -- that's a bad word in our industry."
Would you eat one?
Tags: Food, Food Unwrapped, Genetic Science
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