Apples: Safe Methods to Store, Preserve, and Enjoy

Abstract

The apple (Malus domesticus) is a pome (from the Latin word for apple), a fruit with a papery central cavity surrounding the seeds (fig. 1). Pomes are members of the Roseaceae (rose) family, which also includes pear, crabapple, and quince. Archeological data show that humans were eating apples as early as 6500 b.c. Evidence indicates that the fruit was first cultivated between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.