Do you think that God made a mistake? engineering nature is not natural and that means that in time we will see the true results..when my apple did not oxidize by the 3rd day that made me very uncomfortable..

Expert response from Community Manager

Wednesday, 11/11/2015 15:49

Moderator Note: The only GM apples currently approved to be grown in the United States are the Arctic® apple non-browning varieties. These apples are not yet commercially available.

 

We absolutely love apples and do not think anything about them is a “mistake.” However, there is nothing wrong with improving the crops available to us in a safe, sustainable manner. The history of agriculture is a history of human innovation, after all. Nearly all the foods in a modern day produce department have been enhanced over the years through human intervention.

 

For example, all commercial apple orchards today are propagated by grafting, rather than by seed, which allows us to grow many more trees than we otherwise could have. And, while hundreds of years ago the only apples native to North America were barely-edible crab apples, we now have hundreds of delicious and nutritious apple varieties to enjoy.

 

Our non-browning Arctic® apple varieties simply add a few more choices to a wide array of options available to growers and consumers. They have the same nutrition as their conventional counterparts and contain no new proteins – the only difference is that they have less of the enzyme that initiates the enzymatic browning reaction (PPO).

 

As for the apple you had that did not oxidize; that would not have been an Arctic® apple as no Arctic® apples are available for sale just yet. It could have been one of many other varieties as, just as different plants have varying levels of PPO, there is a wide range of PPO levels among the 5,000+ apple varieties in existence. Some existing apple varieties turn brown more slowly than others, which can be due to a number of factors:

• The apple variety may have high levels of certain acids, such as malic and citric acids, which impedes the PPO/phenolic reaction.
• It may be low in phenolic substrate so the reaction just doesn’t happen as intensively.
• It may have stronger cell walls, which reduces the mixing of PPO and phenolics.
• It may have naturally low levels of PPO.

Expert response from Community Manager

Wednesday, 11/11/2015 15:49

Moderator Note: The only GM apples currently approved to be grown in the United States are the Arctic® apple non-browning varieties. These apples are not yet commercially available.

 

We absolutely love apples and do not think anything about them is a “mistake.” However, there is nothing wrong with improving the crops available to us in a safe, sustainable manner. The history of agriculture is a history of human innovation, after all. Nearly all the foods in a modern day produce department have been enhanced over the years through human intervention.

 

For example, all commercial apple orchards today are propagated by grafting, rather than by seed, which allows us to grow many more trees than we otherwise could have. And, while hundreds of years ago the only apples native to North America were barely-edible crab apples, we now have hundreds of delicious and nutritious apple varieties to enjoy.

 

Our non-browning Arctic® apple varieties simply add a few more choices to a wide array of options available to growers and consumers. They have the same nutrition as their conventional counterparts and contain no new proteins – the only difference is that they have less of the enzyme that initiates the enzymatic browning reaction (PPO).

 

As for the apple you had that did not oxidize; that would not have been an Arctic® apple as no Arctic® apples are available for sale just yet. It could have been one of many other varieties as, just as different plants have varying levels of PPO, there is a wide range of PPO levels among the 5,000+ apple varieties in existence. Some existing apple varieties turn brown more slowly than others, which can be due to a number of factors:

• The apple variety may have high levels of certain acids, such as malic and citric acids, which impedes the PPO/phenolic reaction.
• It may be low in phenolic substrate so the reaction just doesn’t happen as intensively.
• It may have stronger cell walls, which reduces the mixing of PPO and phenolics.
• It may have naturally low levels of PPO.