Are the Old Apple Varieties Healthier Than the New Ones?

Old apple varieties are no healthier than newer varieties in terms of nutrient distribution. However, they tend to trigger allergies less frequently. Although no apple variety can be 100% recommended for people with an apple allergy, many old apple varieties are much better tolerated. For example, old varieties such as Boskop or Finkenwerder Herbstprinz are considered allergy-friendly.

Anyone suffering from an apple allergy will feel an unpleasant tingling sensation in their mouth and throat after eating apples, for example. For some, the lips or the entire throat also swell. Those affected often also suffer from an allergy to birch pollen and other early bloomers, so an apple allergy is probably a cross-allergy.

However, not all new apple varieties are intolerable for allergy sufferers. Many people with apple allergies find the new Santana variety, a cross between the Priscilla and Elstar varieties, to be well tolerated. The lack of the secondary plant substance polyphenol in many newer apple varieties is suspected to be one of the triggers of apple allergy. The polyphenol has often been bred out of newer apple varieties because it is responsible for a sour taste and brown interfaces. Apparently, however, polyphenol also ensures that an allergy-triggering protein is inhibited. Old apple varieties containing polyphenols have therefore proven to be more allergy-friendly.

The main allergen in apples is called Mal d1 – the longer apples are stored, the more the allergen content increases. Allergy sufferers should therefore not only reach for old apple varieties but also prefer fresh fruit. Heat, on the other hand, destroys the allergen: apple pie, applesauce, or apple compote are therefore often tolerated. A one-minute treatment at 600 watts in the microwave also makes the apple easier to digest but takes away its crunchy consistency.

Apples that are well tolerated by allergy sufferers include the following varieties:

• Alcmene
• Altlander pancake apple
• Berlepsch
• Boscope
• Finkenwerder Autumn Prince
• Gold Parmese
• Pilot
• Red Gravensteiner
• Rubinets
• Santana
• White bell apple
• White clear apple

However, if you have an existing apple allergy, consult your doctor as a precaution before consuming apples.