The government has approved the commercial planting of genetically engineered apples that don't brown when sliced or bruised. The developer Okanagan Specialty Fruits, says the non-browning feature will make apples more appealing to consumers and food service companies. However executives in the apple industry worry the biotech apples will face controversy from some consumers along with them loosing exports in countries that do not like genetically modified foods. The Department of Agriculture has considered these issues, however under the law, approval is based on whether a genetically modified crop poses a treat to other plants. The apples do not pose any risk. The apples are genetically engineered to suppress the production of an enzyme that causes browning when the cells in the apple are injured, for example by slicing. But over time they will still rot a turn brown. In my opinion, although the browning of apples is not appealing to me in anyway, I'm not a fan of it being genetically altered to prevent it. There are other ways to prevent the browning for a bit more time, for instance, Lemon juice, which is natural. That's just my opinion though, I'm not going to be the guinea pig for an apple.
