Tracy Norris
Anyone suffering from an apple allergy does not have to do without the healthy, delicious fruit. However, it is important to choose the right variety.
Late summer and autumn are the best times of the year for apple lovers: the apples are now fresh and crunchy and taste wonderfully aromatic. A property that unfortunately suffers in the following months due to the long storage time in the cold store. The apple is still one of the most popular types of fruit. On the other hand, there are more and more people who are allergic to apples – especially to the varieties that are available in the supermarket: Gala, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, etc.
In a small pilot study, scientists at the Berlin Charité have investigated which apples allergy sufferers tolerate better and whether an apple allergy can be positively influenced by eating old apple varieties.
Apple allergy: There are also low-allergen varieties
The most important tip of the work: Anyone who regularly eats low-allergen apples could develop a tolerance to the new varieties from the supermarket. “With this observational study, we were able to show that if you have an apple allergy, it makes sense to take the trouble to find and buy old apple varieties such as Alkmene, Eifeler Rambur, Goldparmäne Gravensteiner, Jonathan and Boskoop, since regular consumption according to our study is not able to completely eliminate the existing apple allergy, but to significantly reduce the symptoms when eating apples,” explains the head of the study, Professor Karl-Christian Bergmann.
63 allergy sufferers who showed allergic symptoms after eating an apple of a common variety (Golden Delicious) took part in the study. For three months, the participants ate old apple varieties with a high polyphenol content, such as Alkmene, Goldparmäne and Roter Boskop, every day. At the end of the study, they again ate the same “problem apple variety” as at the beginning. Many now tolerated the “problem apple” better and also had fewer complaints in the following hay fever season. The reason for this: anyone who is allergic to apples also reacts to birch pollen (keyword: cross-allergy), since the allergens are very similar.
There is a lot to be said for the old apple varieties
According to the Charité study, the fact that more and more people are allergic to apples could have something to do with the everyday apples from the supermarket. Here you will only find shiny varieties that do not turn brown so quickly and taste sweet. The apples that are smiling at us here are all among the newer varieties with lower polyphenol content.
If you want to combat your allergy to apples, you can try varieties with a lot of polyphenols. The key to success, or rather to carefree apple enjoyment, are the old apple varieties. The following applies here: the more sour, the better the apple is tolerated. The old varieties are also healthier, they contain more vitamin C and more plant substances. An apple allergy is usually not an allergy to all apples, but only to certain varieties.
Compatible varieties with high polyphenol content:
1. Alcmene
2. Berlepsch
3. Finkenwerder Autumn Prince
4. Gold Parmese
5. Gold reindeer
6. Gravensteiner
7. Kaiser Wilhelm
8. Pinova
9. Red Boscope
10. Rubinets
11. Santana
12. Wellant
Varieties that are not well tolerated by allergy sufferers:
1. Braeburn
2. Elstar
3. Fuji
4th Gala
5. Golden Delicious
6. Granny Smith
7. Jonagold
8. Pink Lady
9. Red Delicious
Which apple variety is to what extent? The number of well-tolerated apple varieties is more extensive than our selection here, in which we have limited ourselves to the more well-known varieties. Apple allergy sufferers can find more information in the BUND Lemgo apple variety list.
Processed apples in apple sauce and apple pie are usually unproblematic. Allergy sufferers tolerate fresh apples better than apples that have been stored for a long time. Since most allergenic substances are under the shell, peeling also helps.
Many allergy sufferers should be happy about the findings of the Berlin researchers. They too can live again with the enjoyment of old apple varieties according to the motto “An Apple a Day keeps the Doctor away”. Because apples are extremely healthy! Their fiber supports the immune system and promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestine.
How contaminated are German apples?
They are on the fruit shelf all year round: always crunchy, always fresh. Apples don’t seem to be in season at all. Many come from Chile or New Zealand, but there are always German apples. We wanted to know: What about their exposure to spray poisons? And how about their carbon footprint? The results are available free of charge.
