This Newly USDA Approved Apple Doesn't Brown

In kindergarten, browned apples were the bane of my existence. Teachers and parents insisted that they were "still good," but who wants to eat a brown apple?

Future children may never have to deal with that. The U.S. Department of Agriculture just deregulated genetically-modified apples that don’t turn brown after being cut. 

While genetically-modified foods may make some people skittish, they are completely safe (as far as we can tell) and capable of having near-magical qualities. In this case, scientists found a way to turn off the gene that controls the browning process, a chemical reaction known as enzymatic browning. Enzymes in the apple react to oxygen and create benzoquinone and melanins that result in the re-colorization. Using a technique called "chemical silencing," scientists can minimize the unpalatable chemicals that are being produced. The result is my new favorite fruit, a spin on Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples: Arctic apples.

These futuristic green apples were approved to be planted in the U.S., but the FDA still needs to agree before they can be sold in stores. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly and students will find these goodies in their lunchboxes in a few years. The creation of these apples has been in the works for over a decade, and their website declares it will be one of the most researched and tested foods of all time. 

To see the newfangled apples in action, check out this timelapse: