It is important to know that all apples have a natural wax on them, but after the harvest, apples are washed and brushed to remove leaves and field dirt before they are packed in cartons for shipping. This cleaning process removes the fruit’s original wax coating.
Without wax, fruits and vegetables, like apples, lose their crispness and moisture through normal respiration and transpiration – eventually leaving them soft and dry. A food grade wax is sprayed on apples to keep them shiny (for cosmetic purposes) and to protect the fruit.
However, keep in mind that once the wax is applied, the apples often sit in cold storage for 9-12 months before making their way to the supermarket! {lets face it, you can only pick the apples in September/October…so this only makes sense for the mass market}. Therefore, the nutritional value probably has gone down to a certain extent and it isn’t nearly as fresh! So next time you are at the grocery store, why not try an organic apple?
