The research is about apples

Research scientists have looked at the small apple and found that the fruit contains on average about 100 million bacteria.

Before you begin to worry about what you are ingesting, there are only those who eat the whole apple – the kernel, the seeds, the whole – that consume all the bacteria.

If you eat only the normal part, you consume only 10 million bacteria.

The new study, published in Frontiers in Microbiology, suggests that organic apples harbor a more diverse and balanced bacterial community than conventional apples.

Professor Gabriele Berg, Graz University of Technology, Austria, said: "Bacteria, fungi and viruses in our food transiently colonize our intestines. Cooking kills most of them, so raw fruits and vegetables are a particularly important source of intestinal microbes. "

Researchers compared the bacteria found in conventional store-bought apples with those of fresh, visually matched organic apples. They badyzed separately the stem, the peel, the flesh, the seeds and the chalice – the weak part at the bottom of the flower.

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

"By collecting averages for each apple component, we estimate that a typical 240 g apple contains about 100 million bacteria," said Professor Berg. Although this amount is the same, the bacterial composition was significantly different in conventionally and organically produced apples.

According to the study, the majority of bacteria are in the seeds, the flesh representing most of the rest.

The scientists also examined whether the bacterium was good or bad and discovered that the organic fruit seemed to have the advantage.

Professor Berg said: "Freshly harvested and organically managed apples harbor a much more diverse, homogenous and distinct bacterial community than conventional communities. This variety and balance is expected to limit the proliferation of a particular species, and previous studies have shown a negative correlation between the abundance of human pathogens and the diversity of fresh produce in the microbiome. . "

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 with known pathogens – pathogenic microorganisms – has been detected in most conventional apple samples, but not in organic apples.

However, for lactobacilli, which are often used in probiotics, the opposite was true. Researchers also offer a justification to those who claim to be able to taste the difference in organic products.

The study found that Methylobacterium, known to enhance the biosynthesis of strawberry flavoring compounds, was significantly more abundant in organic apples.