How About Them Apples!?

Today we’re biting into a crisp topic: the remarkable age of the apples you buy at the supermarket. Ever wondered how those apples stay so fresh months after harvest? Let's peel back the layers of this juicy story.

It turns out, the apple you just added to your cart could have been picked up to a year ago. That's right, those shiny, crisp fruits could be older than last year's Halloween pumpkins! How is this possible, you ask? The answer lies in a remarkable technology called controlled atmosphere, or CA, storage.

After harvest, apples are often whisked away into these specially designed storage facilities where the environment is meticulously controlled. Oxygen levels are reduced dramatically, from the 21% found in the air we breathe down to just 2-5%. This oxygen diet slows down the apples' metabolic processes, essentially putting them into a state of suspended animation.

But it's not just about cutting back on oxygen. The levels of carbon dioxide are increased, and the temperature is kept just above freezing, while humidity is cranked high to keep the apples from drying out. These conditions prevent the apples from ripening any further and keep them in a near-perfect state of just-picked freshness.

Ethylene, the ripening agent that fruits naturally produce, is also managed in these spaces. Facilities use scrubbers to remove ethylene from the air, thwarting the ripening process that would normally make an apple go soft and sweet.

So next time you marvel at how the apples in your supermarket seem to defy the seasons, remember—it's not magic, but science. Controlled atmosphere storage allows us to enjoy fresh apples all year round, no matter when they were picked.

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