The average German eats an average of around 17 kg of apples a year. Unfortunately not everyone can enjoy this fruit: around two to four million Germans are allergic to apples. Thomas Bernert, a student of food technology at the German University OWL, has shown with his bachelors paper that some types of apples are better for those who are allergic than others, reports the German website Gabot.de.
Along with the ripening, processing, and preparation of apples, the variety of apple also has a big influence on the allergic potential. Newly grown varieties in particular, cause allergic reactions more frequently, while older varieties are especially suited for allergy sufferers. Bernert was able to show the possible reason behind this in his bachelor thesis: the substance group of the polyphenols - an aromatic compound restrained in newly grown apple species - has a better effect on the tolerance of traditional varieties. "Polyphenols can deactivate the actual apple allergenics and prevent the proteins that cause allergies to be absorbed in the body," according to a brief summary from professor Jürgen Zapp from the institute for food technology NRW (ILT-NRW), who taught the student.