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Showing posts from June, 2012

Opposition to the Newest Apple Product

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Sorry tech geeks.  This is about fruits, not phones.   The Arctic Apple is a new product currently undergoing regulatory approval in the United States and Canada. It was developed by a small biotech company in Summerland BC, Canada, so save the Monsanto comments. It is a non-browning apple, created using transgenic technology (probably cisgenic).  Browning is a reaction to damage. This can be cutting or bruising.  An enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (or PPO) mediates this process.  Without PPO, no browning occurs.  A silenced gene inhibits browning.  A great development for  growers and consumers. Apples have four PPO genes.  In the Arctic Apple these genes are silenced, likely using RNAi technology.  In a very basic explanation, the native apple PPO gene is expressed in a way that causes the other PPO genes to be shut down.  The potential benefits?  The details are here .  Huge amounts of apple fruits are culled from the tree, damaged from post-harvest handling, or are