WHY HERITAGE APPLES ARE HEALTHIER

Many older varieties of apples are markedly healthier than modern supermarket equivalents, the Cranfield University-Kew study has revealed. While testing 66 apple cultivars from the National Fruit Collection at Brodgdale, researchers discovered that many of the heritage British varieties had far higher levels of nutrients than newer, cultivated apples. The apples on test included mainstream commercial varieties such as ‘Braeburn’, ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Jazz’, as well as more ancient apples, including ‘Decio’, which is believed to date back to Roman times. The results show that key healthpromoting phytochemicals have gradually been bred out from modern cultivars with the focus instead on producing sweet, crisp, good-looking apples that store well. Older varieties contain considerably more phloridzin than modern fruits. This chemical helps to regulate blood sugar and can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Professor Leon Terry, who led the three-year project, told us: “There are good reasons why a lot of the older varieties have been phased out: many don’t store well and tend to suffer from disease. But what’s evident from our research is that many of the modern varieties have lower levels of micronutrients and tend to have a higher sugar content. “I believe that where we’ve got a diverse genetic pool, we should be celebrating that, trying to identify some of those quality traits in older varieties and then perhaps introducing them back into newer varieties. We also found that crab apple varieties, and cider apples in particular, were very high in phloridzin. So there may be scope to use some of the underused heritage cultivars to develop food products with enhanced health-promoting properties.” During the research, the apples were dissected and each part tested. “We found the majority of the health-giving compounds are in the skin,” said Prof. Terry, ”so the worst thing you can do is peel an apple. Eat the whole thing!”