Secret health gut: Have organic apples a day

LONDON: In addition to containing fiber and vitamins, an apple also contains about 100 million bacteria. According to one study, the quality of growth or not of these microbes may depend on how the fruit was grown.

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, shows that organic apples harbor a more diverse and balanced bacterial community – which could make them healthier and tastier than conventional apples, as well as for women. ;environment.

"Bacteria, fungi and viruses in our food are transiently colonizing our intestines," said Professor Gabriele Berg of the Graz University of Technology in Austria.

"Cooking kills most of them, so raw fruits and vegetables are especially important sources of intestinal microbes," Berg said.

To help us choose wisely our colonic colonists, the team badyzed the microbiome of one of the world's favorite fruits: the apple.

"83 million apples were grown in 2018 and production continues to increase, but although recent studies have mapped their mushroom content, less is known about the bacteria found in apples," Berg said. .

Researchers compared the bacteria found in conventional store-bought apples with those of fresh, visually matched organic apples.

The stems, peels, flesh, seeds and chalice – the space-saving part at the bottom of the flower – were badyzed separately.

Overall, organic and conventional apples were occupied by a similar number of bacteria.

"By collecting the averages for each apple component, we estimate that a typical 240 gram apple contains about 100 million bacteria," Berg said.

The majority of the bacteria are in the seeds, the flesh representing the rest. Thus, if the core is scrapped, the intake drops to nearly 10 million, researchers said.

"Freshly harvested and organically managed apples harbor a much more diverse, homogenous and distinct bacterial community than conventional communities," Berg said.

"This variety and balance should limit the proliferation of any species, and previous studies have shown a negative correlation between the abundance of human pathogens and the diversity of fresh microbiome products," he said. he declared.

Specific groups of bacteria known for their potential to affect health have also weighed in favor of organic apples.

"Escherichia-Shigella – a group of bacteria including known pathogens – was found in most conventional apple samples, but none in organic apples." For beneficial lactobacilli – probiotically renowned – the reverse was true "said Berg.

"Methylobacteria, known to improve the biosynthesis of strawberry flavoring compounds, was significantly more abundant in organic apples, particularly in bark and flesh samples, which generally had a more diverse microbiota than seeds. , stems or chalice, "he said.

The results reflect findings on fungal communities in apples, researchers said.

"Our results are remarkably consistent with a recent study on the fungal community badociated with apples, which revealed the specificity of fungal varieties for different tissues and management practices," said Birgit Wbaderman, lead author of the study.

Studies show that the microbiome of the apple is more diverse in fruits from organic farming, according to the researchers.