The New And Improved Apple

Can the most basic of all fruits - the apple - be improved upon? Is it possible to have an even crisper , crunchier bite and more juice. The answer is yes, Like the Apple computer products , there is going to be a new and better generation of America's favorite snack. The fruit world is about to be rocked by apple 3.0.

New apple breeds were the main article in today's New York Times Food section. David Kapp wrote about the new breeds that are going to shake up the American palate Scientists in Washington State, are doing wonders with hybridization (and take note, not genetically modified). The newest is the Honeycrisp, created at the University of Minnesota in 1991 and is the gold standard for three of the most important traits:crispness, juiciness and upscale pricing. Ironically it all short with the first characteristic, being very soft and dissolving quickly in the mouth .It also has an inconsistent flavor and fades during a long storage>It is also very difficult to grow, making it a hindrance to apple growers.Its scion , the Cosmic Crisp, which is also bred with the enterprise breed of apple is firmer but not impossible to bite into. It's also much easier to manage and pack up for transportation.Its' firmness os a selling point because it helps it  keep longer . This makes it perfect for selling during any time of year from fall to the spring.Acidity is another vital quality.Kinds such as Red Delicious, Gala and Fuji have low acidity  and drops when stored. This leaves for a flat taste, not a good selling point A highly acidic apple  tastes as good three months after it's been picked from the tree.

How are these super apples made? Analysis of what works and then the painstaking process of traditional pollination between different sorts of apple trees. There is then a five year wait before the hybrid bears fruit. Unlike other produce that have been genetically modified , old breeds are analyzed  through recently developed DNA tests to select genes connected to  crisp texture, acidity and fructose. This helps weed out unpromising seedlings as well as choosing parents with the best traits. Many breeders around the world ( surprisingly Switzerland ,Belgium and the Czech Republic are also big apple producers) have been trying to develop the perfect apple, one with sweet red flesh, pigmented like the skin outside and rich with antioxidants.An apple with a ruby flesh would be different and appeal to foodies dying for the next big trend.Red fleshed apples are not new, They've been growing in Asia for millennia  however these are the super tart, being more genetically connected to a crabapple.  The next few years should prove to be interesting , with new breeds like the Sweetango and the Juici. coming to grocery stores in 2017.

There will always be clamor when a new apple drops. With new breeds of the original one, there's going to be more excitement.Nothing beats one with a crunch and super rich flavor.,