We've all heard that saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away."
Apples are supposed to be one of the healthiest fruits on the market but are they also dangerous for you?
Certain videos popping up online would have you believing they are not only dangerous, they could cause cancer.
All you have to do is type "apple" and "wax" into the YouTube search bar and hundreds of search results will load.
The people in the video pour boiling hot water on apples, wait a few minutes and you'll see the apple appears covered in wax. The narrators then go on to make claims about the dangers of eating the wax-covered apples.
What’s true is that apples are in fact covered in wax.
But there isn’t enough research to conclude the wax on the fruit is dangerous.
“There’s a natural wax that apples produce, really to protect the apple itself from moisture-loss,” said Ben Chapman, an associate professor and food safety specialist at North Carolina State University.
According to Chapman and agriculture experts at the Food and Drug Administration, the wax is the apple's natural way of protecting itself from mold, germs and bruises.
The natural wax also makes the apple shiny and keeps germs from getting inside.
“If you're seeing some wax on many fruits and vegetables, it may be naturally occurring or it may be something that's added,” Chapman said.
It’s no secret Apple growers might even add more wax to the apple’s natural wax depending on the variety of the apples, how old the apple is before harvest and storage conditions.
“It’s a fully regulated food additive,” Chapman explains.
And it’s also perfectly safe according to the Food and Drug administration.
The food-grade wax is made from several products including vegetable-, petroleum-, beeswax-, or shellac wax or resin.
And it usually takes a drop or two on the apple to do the job.
“Like with anything, too much of something can become a problem that's why we have regulations in place,” Chapman said.
And part of that FDA regulation means produce shippers and supermarkets are required by law to let you know if your apple has been coated in food-grade wax.
If you're concerned, you can watch for the labels, or just stop by a local farm and pick one right from the tree without the added wax.
Again, food specialists, researchers, as well as the FDA all say the added wax on apples is perfectly safe.
Many other fruits like plums and pears produce a natural wax, too.
Fruit waxing
Fruit waxing is the process of covering fruits (and, in some cases, vegetables) with artificial waxing material. Natural wax is removed first, usually by washing, followed by a coating of a biological or petroleum derived wax. Potentially allergenic proteins (peanut, soy, dairy, wheat) may be combined with shellac.
The primary reasons for waxing are to prevent water loss (making up for the removal in washing of the natural waxes in fruits that have them, particularly citrus but also, for example, apples) and thus retard shrinkage and spoilage, and to improve appearance. Dyes may be added to further enhance appearance, and sometimes fungicides. Fruits were waxed to cause fermentation as early as the 12th or the 13th century; commercial producers began waxing citrus to extend shelf life in the 1920s and 1930s. Aesthetics (consumer preference for shiny fruit) has since become the main reason. In addition to fruit, some vegetables can usefully be waxed, such as cassava. A distinction may be made between storage wax, pack-out wax (for immediate sale), and high-shine wax
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A number of sources list the following as produce which may be waxed before shipping to stores:
- apples
- avocados
- bell and hot peppers
- cantaloupes
- cucumbers
- eggplant
- grapefruit
- lemons
- limes
- mangoes
- melons
- nectarines
- oranges
- papayas
- parsnips
- passion fruit
- peaches
- pears
- pineapple
- plums
- pumpkins
- rutabaga
- squash
- sweet potatoes
- tangarines
- tomatoes
- turnips
- yucca
The materials used to wax produce depend to some extent on regulations in the country of production and/or export. Both natural waxes (carnauba, shellac, or resin) and petroleum-based waxes (usually proprietary formulae) are used, and often more than one wax is combined to create the desired properties for the fruit or vegetable being treated. Wax may be applied in a volatile petroleum-based solvent but is now more commonly applied via a water-based emulsion. Blended paraffin waxes applied as an oil or paste are often used on vegetables
Artificial ripening of fruits
Food safety and health security should be top concerns of any Government for its citizens. But still, most of the fruit sellers use Chemicals like Calcium carbide for ripening the fruits. This Chemical is extremely hazardous to the human body as it contains traces of arsenic and phosphorus. Although it is banned in many countries of the world, it is freely used in Indian Subcontinent. Thus, we are at a greater risk of short-term as well as long-term health effects simply by eating fruits that are artificially ripened. Artificial ripening of fruits is done to achieve faster and more uniform ripening characteristics at the cost of its Nutritional Values.
So, what is the basic difference between the Natural and Artificial ripening of the Fruits?
Natural ripening is a physiological process which makes the fruit edible, palatable and nutritious. In nature, fruits ripen after attainment of proper maturity by a sequence of complex physical and biochemical events. Whether fruits ripen on the plant or after harvest, the general ripening changes associated with the process are easily recognisable. During ripening fruits soften, changes colour, and characteristic aroma and flavours develop. During the process of ripening several factors like temperature, humidity etc. acts as a catalyst. Whereas in the case of artificial ripening, fruit ripening agents promote ripening and induce colour changes. Although the appearance of such artificially ripened fruits has been found to be improved, the taste and smell are found to be impaired especially when harvested fruits were subjected to treatment without considering their maturity status. Besides, the quantity required of the ripening agent to induce ripening will be much more than the conventional dose, when the fruits are not mature enough.
