It is well known that the internal colour of apples is as common as apples themselves, with most varieties having more or less the same, creamy colour.
This could now change, however, as newer varieties with a red or pink internal colour and great eating quality are about to make an appearances.
The latest news in this respect is that a cooperation agreement, in place since 2008 between South African plant breeders re:inc innovation and UK fruit science centre East Malling Research, is ensuring that these novel apple varieties will soon surface.
Riaan van Wyk, CEO of re:inc innovation, believes that these apples represent a new future for the fruit.
“The apples are really beautiful, sweet and juicy and the snappy sound when biting the very crunchy flesh texture, represents the future eating experience, especially for younger people,' he explains.
The existing red, pink and even orange internal appearances of apples have, to a large extent, been trapped in old varieties and wild Malus species originating from Kazakhstan and surrounding countries. Some of them are used tin home gardens as flowering crab apples, or in commercial orchards as cross-pollinators. During the past three decades apple breeders have started to use these older varieties to breed for two reasons – namely disease resistance or better external colour. More lately, though, the focus has also been on internal flesh colours.
The problem that breeders have had with the older varieties and wild forms is the fact that they are sometimes small fruited and astringent or larger, with no keeping quality. It therefore takes many cycles of breeding to develop a variety with the right look and flavour from the parent base.
“East Malling Research saw this opportunity in the market and started breeding towards varieties which would suit both British and international tastes,' van Wyck continues. 'As part of the collaboration agreement with re:inc innovation, Dr Iwan Labuschagne, apple and pear breeder at re:inc innovation, selected seedlings in the breeding orchards of EMR, and identified the high commercial potential of the red and pink flesh selections in 2008.
“We formed a partnership with EMR back in 2008 to further evaluate and commercialise these varieties internationally. The two companies have also undertaken apple breeding together from 2009 and are now excited to introduce wonderful new apple varieties to the global consumer.”
Roger Carline, managing director of East Malling Services, says that it is exciting to bring varieties to UK consumers that were bred in Britain.
“We believe that many consumers across the rest of the world will be also be excited by the taste, 'snappy' textures and juiciness of the apples,' Carline confirms.
According to van Wyk, the red and pink-fleshed varieties will be introduced during a mini-symposium in Germany this October, before the first commercial plantings start.
“They will be planted across the major apple producing areas in the world and will be available 12 months of the year,' he notes.
The partnership with EMR is part of a comprehensive breeding programme at re:inc innovation.
“We are building an international breeding platform with plots in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, in association with other breeders and variety owners,' says Labuschagne. 'We have sourced a range of unique breeding parents from international breeding programmes since 2008 which we are evaluating and using in our new variety development programme.
We perform hand pollinations in Europe and South Africa and are now looking to extend our breeding activities internationally to gain faster access to more desirable parent material and to speed up the process by having a double breeding cycle every year.”
Van Wyk says both commercial and unique traits are included in the programme: “Amongst the uniqueness we are looking for is a combination of diverse internal red, yellow, pink and white flesh and vivid fluorescent external colouring, unique shapes which vary from flat and elongated form, as well as ‘lollipop’ and ‘cherry’ apples.
He explains that it is also important to find the correct international and South African partners and licensees for commercial plantings, increase the size of the breeding operation in the Northern Hemisphere to 5,000-8,000 seedlings per annum in order to be at the same level as the South African operations, and to introduce modern technology, like marker assisted selection, (non-GMO) where applicable.
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