Arctic Apples’ no-PPO antioxidant advantage
Apples’ Nutrition Facts are just the beginning of the health story for apples in general – antioxidants are writing a whole new chapter. Arctic Apples may have an antioxidant advantage thanks to something they don’t have: polyphenol oxidase.
Antioxidant superfood
Emerging research indicates that apple phytochemicals may provide a range of health benefits to the humans who eat them. Plants produce phytochemicals for a range of purposes, including protecting against plant pests and diseases. They may also protect our bodies against the negative effects of oxidation, not to mention inflammation, viruses, bacteria, allergens, carcinogens and more. (Not enough is known about these compounds to recommend intake levels.)
Apple phytochemicals contain tremendous antioxidant power. The antioxidant activity of a 100-gram apple has been equated to that of 1500 milligrams of Vitamin C, the best-known antioxidant (1). Those phytochemicals include phenolic compounds that provide apples’ color and flavor, while protecting against pathogens. (1) (R.H. Liu, Nutrition Journal, 2004)
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The problem: browningNow, the bad news: Much of an apple’s precious phenolics are consumed by the chemical reaction that is triggered when apple cells are ruptured by bruising, biting, slicing, dicing, juicing, saucing, etc. The phenolics react with apples’ polyphenol oxidase (PPO), leaving behind brown-toned melanin. |
The solution: PPO
Arctic Apples contain less than 10 percent of the PPO of other apples – not enough PPO to generate a browning reaction. That means Arctic Apples may have more health-promoting antioxidants – opening a new chapter in apples’ health story.
