Genetically modified apple that won’t turn brown coming soon

New genetically modified apples designed by a synthetic-biology company are being released this fall but won’t be labeled as GMOs.

They’re called Arctic apples and their genes have been altered from their original Golden Delicious state to ensure that after the fruits are cut open and exposed to the air, their flesh won’t turn brown in color. The development company, Okanagan Specialty Fruits, said that the apples may be on sale as bagged slices in up to 400 stores this season throughout the Midwest and Southern California, according to Business Insider.

The baggies of fruit won’t bear the standard “produced with genetic engineering” label or any other GMO identifier because of a 2016 law that allows, instead, a code to be visible on the packaging that links to a website with information on how the fruit was made.

“We didn’t want to put ‘GMO’ and a skull and crossbones on the package,” Okanagan’s founder, Neal Carter, said at a presentation last week, according to BI.

The apples were made using a technique called gene silencing. The Okanagan team engineered the fruit’s DNA to produce less of the enzyme (polyphenol oxidase) that causes the white, inner flesh to brown. The new and improved slices will stay fresh for up to three weeks, Carter said.

He hopes that his GMO fruits could reduce waste and increase apple sales overall. But there are only about 250 acres of Arctic apple trees currently planted and 325,000 acres of all different types of apple trees across the U.S. BI said that Carter declined to reveal the cost of his slices.

Many groups that oppose GMOs have already started protesting the apples, according to BI. An organization called Friends of the Earth told the Independent that they’re “understudied, unlabeled and unnecessary.” Right now, apple slices that are treated with calcium and vitamin C can be purchased off Amazon with the promise of not browning before they arrive on the customer’s doorstep. And, easily enough, a little bit of lemon juice is a quick, natural fix to prevent cut apples from turning color for a few hours.

But some experts believe that the Arctic apple’s GMO status isn’t harmful and is justifiable.

“Cigarettes have a huge (label), but GMO is not cigarettes, it’s not poison,” University of California Berkeley agricultural professor David Zilberman told BI. “There is nothing wrong with this from any perspective. Let’s see what happens. We may see more acceptance of GM.”