Which apples are not GMO?
Freshly cut Opal Apples. If you do want apples that don't easily brown, Opal apples are a non-GMO variety produced using natural breeding techniques. They are a warm golden color, crunchy in all the right ways, with a balanced flavor profile — not too tart and not too sweet.
The so-called Arctic apples — which will be available in the Granny Smith and Golden Delicious varieties — are genetically engineered in a way to suppress the production of an enzyme that causes browning when cells in the apple are injured, from slicing, for example.
Arctic apples are genetically engineered (GE) to prevent browning. This means that the genetic material that dictates how the apple tree grows and develops was altered using biotechnology tools.
- 4-digit number means food was conventionally grown.
- 5-digit number that begins with a 9 means produce is organic.
- 5-digit number that begins with an 8 means it is genetically modified. (
The parentage of the Granny Smith is thought to be possibly a cross between a cultivated apple and malus sylvestris, a crab apple. "Therefore, Granny Smith is most likely a chance hybrid of two existing varieties and/or species," Ms Karlstrom explained.
A few fresh fruit and vegetables are available in GMO varieties, including potatoes, summer squash, apples, papayas, and pink pineapples. Although GMOs are in a lot of the foods we eat, most of the GMO crops grown in the United States are used for animal food.
You already know fruit is an indispensable part of your diet, and Granny Smith apples are one of the healthiest choices you can make. With a distinct tart flavor, they're among the lower-sugar fruits you can eat, and they're loaded with fiber and phytonutrients that benefit your health.
Granny Smith apples are high in vitamin C, which is great for the immune system. Vitamin C boosts white blood cells and helps fight infections like colds or viruses. This also helps improve brain function.
The difference is small but important because every Granny Smith apple you have ever eaten is an exact copy – a genetic clone – of the seedling Maria identified in 1868. Ever time you bite into a Granny Smith – regardless of where it was grown – you are biting into the same apple.
Wild apples (or crapapples) are the original apple trees, bearing the scientific name Malus sieversii. They are the tree from which all cultivated varieties of apple (Malus domestica) were developed.
Are all Honeycrisp apples GMO?
Natural Breeding, Not Genetic Modification
Honeycrisp apples are bred and grown through cross-pollination, which is widely regarded as an all-natural process. As such, honeycrisps are not an example of genetic modification.
The Arctic Fuji apple was genetically modified in the same way and contains the same non-browning trait as the Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny apples.
Developed by bioresource engineer Neal Carter, founder and president of Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. in Summerland, British Columbia, the Arctic Fuji joins the Arctic golden delicious and granny smith varieties. All three varieties have been genetically modified to reduce browning.