Fruit Bites July 21-23 Greasy Apples

BL: Welcome back to another “Fruit Bites” brought to you by Valent U.S.A. With us once again is Valent’s Allison Walston. And this week Allison, the talk isn’t about my hair, but an apple disorder called greasiness.

AW: Some apple varieties can become and look greasy during storage. This apple disorder isn’t appealing to the average customer. Skin greasiness in apples is known to be associated with ripening and can appear during long term storage or in the field before harvest.

BL: What causes this greasiness?

AW: A separation of the two layers of the cuticle. Apples are covered by waxy-cuticle layers that protect against the environment and minimizing water loss. Basically, as the apple matures, the ethylene given off creates greasy esters, melting the waxy layer and separating it. It makes the surface of the apple look and feel greasy. If we can slow ethylene maturation down, the fruit in storage might not develop greasiness.

BL: Well, thanks Allison. Join us again next time for Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent. Until then, I’m Bob Larson.