What are the whitish areas on red delicious apples?
 

A lot of red delicous apples have whitish areas/stains on the outside
skin. It is difficult to remove them even when trying to rub them off
under running water. They seem to peel off when scratching with a
finger nail. These white areas are barely visible but I would like to
know what they are. Are they traces of pesticides?

Wax. It's why they can be so marvelously shiny if you buff them.
Usually carnauba wax, which is edible. Whether the surfactants they use
to make the wax water soluble (and supposedly allow it to wash off
easily) are I'm not sure.

wrote in message
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A lot of red delicous apples have whitish areas/stains on the outside
skin. It is difficult to remove them even when trying to rub them off
under running water. They seem to peel off when scratching with a
finger nail. These white areas are barely visible but I would like to
know what they are. Are they traces of pesticides?


Since the apple season is relatively short, growers or wholesalers need a
way to keep the fruit from becoming dehydrated during long storage. Some
large supermarket chains can afford to have special storage areas where
proper humidity is maintained, but many don't bother. Wax is the answer. Put
a drop of dish soap on a fingernail brush, splash some water on the brush,
scrub, and then rinse the apples until they're squeaky.

If you live in apple growing country and spot an orchard whose retail outlet
is open all year, try their apples. Some of these places have the proper
refrigeration rooms, and can get away with using a wax that's much easier to
remove.

I'm not sure what you mean by "stains," but Red Delicious apples normally
have white spots on them. Does this photo look like what you're seeing:
http://botany.cs.tamu.edu/FLORA/dcs4...6/mi06057.jpg?

Suzy, zone 5, Wisconsin

wrote in message
oups.com...
A lot of red delicous apples have whitish areas/stains on the outside
skin. It is difficult to remove them even when trying to rub them off
under running water. They seem to peel off when scratching with a
finger nail. These white areas are barely visible but I would like to
know what they are. Are they traces of pesticides?