zipmec

Local

Roma

Skip to content

19052012

Apples - history, production, trade

THE APPLE
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away": Probably the apple is the most valued fruit in modern dietetics.

The apple is the fruit of the apple tree (Malus domestica,Borkh. 1760), a fruit tree of the Rosaceae family.
The tree originated in Central Asia, where it seems that there were the ancestors of the current apple tree and probably its origins go back to the Neolithic.

The apple tree has not very deep creeping roots, it is clothed with thick foliage and has a smooth ash-gray bark.
The tree is frost-resistant and therefore it is widespread and can be cultivated also in the most Northern areas of the world, up to an altitude of 1000 m.

In Italy the trade of apples is particularly flourishing, as they are cultivated almost in all regions of the country, even though the best environments for apples are the fresher regions and those at the foot of mountains, because there apples can develop the most valuable organoleptic characteristics.

As for the soil, the apple tree is one of the less demanding fruit trees; however, it prefers soils without water stagnation, with an enough amount of humus and a good amount of calcium. Its fruits are countless as for varieties and qualities: each apple species has distinctive and different characteristics as for the harvesting and the maturation of fruits.

A lot of varieties are also granted a PGI certification, as the famous Valtellina apple of Trentino.

In any case, the apple is one the fruits that less depends on seasons, as it can be found during all the year, first of all thanks to importers and exporters of apples, wholesalers of apples and farms, but also because of the fact that there are innumerable apple varieties (of which some are already extinct or unobtainable) that are produced and then traded all over the world.

The apple can have different shapes and sizes: the skin can be smooth or rusty, green, yellow or red, with spots and stripes. The flesh can be white or yellowish, hard or juicy, sweet or acidic, sometimes floury. There are apples for table consumption that have different maturation periods but also cider apples in Northern countries and in France.

Visit our website www.zipmec.eu and look up for the list of apple farms on the most wide ad up to date database for fruits and vegetables.

THE PRODUCTION OF APPLES
The natural maturation of apples usually occurs from the end of August to mid-October, while the apple trade usually goes on all the year: for this reason also the wholesaling of apples and the import/export of apples are very profitable markets; the natural preservation of fruits is, in fact, very different in the diverse varieties. However, thanks to the high content of organic acids, the storage can last from one to four months. Therefore the fruits can always be put on the fruit and vegetable market for sale.

In the industrial storage of apples and the processing of apples the physical conditions are important: the apples, in fact, after being harvested have to be stored at a temperature that goes from 1.0 to 3.5 °C, and humidity must be kept between 59% and 68%. For extended storages, cold stores with controlled atmosphere are needed, where apples are stored until they are ready for the fruit and vegetable trade and therefore to be sold by wholesalers, importers of apples, exporters of apples and certified farms for apples.

The apple have great antioxidant properties and have important vitamins such as the A vitamin, the B1, B2, B6, E and C vitamins, Niacin and folic acid, together with flavonoids and carotenoids that also have an antioxidant effect.
Apples are used in all sectors, from the fruit and vegetable sector, to that of cosmetics: they are mainly used for table consumption, that can be immediate or through the preparation of tasty recipes. The apple, however is also suitable for other countless purposes: the distribution on an industrial scale through wholesalers of apples, importers and exporters of apples and fruit and vegetable farms certified for apples that are involved in the distribution and the processing of apples for various purposes; the table consumption of apples and the cosmetic use for the production of beauty creams.
The industrial employment of apples concerns the production, the distribution of apples and the sale of apples especially for the confectionary industry, for which many apples from the varieties Golden delicious, Rome Beauty, “Costa's Trade”, “Imperatore”and “Blanche Neve” are suitable.
Apples are also used for the production of apple juices, cider, apple seed oil (obtained as a by-product from the production of apple juice and cider and much used in the Northern Europe countries), distilled alcohol and fermented products.

The trademark of apples is essential because it assures that restrictive norms are applied as for the employment of chemical substances; it is a good habit to look to more and more spread organic apples or to apples with well known trademarks, while it is better to avoid "anonimous" apples, particularly when considering out of season apple varieties.

The apple is a veritable natural medicine and an effective ally in the prevention of pathologies and disorders, because it is free of fats and proteins and supplies few sugars (10g for 100g of fruit) and calories (on average 40 for an apple of 100 g). On the other hand, apples are rich of mineral salts and group B vitamins, that are good for the intestinal and mouth mucous, fight the impoverishment of nails and hair and help to overcome tiredness and lack of appetite. The citric acid and the malic acid, also present in this fruit, concur to the health of the organism, facilitating the digestion and keeping unaltered the acidity of the digestive system. The virtues of the apple, however, are not finished: the apple, in fact, is the most suitable fruit for diabetics, as it contains fructose, which is metabolized without insulin, and a percentage of fibres, among which the pectin, a substance that helps to keep controlled the glycaemia, slowing down the sugar absorption. The apple helps also to breath in a better way, thanks to the C vitamin; it fights the bad cholesterol (LDL) and helps the so-called "good" cholesterol (HDL), thanks to the pectin.
It prevents also the cardiovascular diseases and cancer, thanks to the presence of antioxidants such as bioflavonoids.

The apple is legitimately on the world fruit and vegetable market and, apart from Italy, also Asia, Russia and Europe have great importance in the production and distribution of apples; organizations of producers of apples are supposed to play an important role in Europe: in fact these are good times for them thanks to the marketing politics directed by the European Union.

The apple production worldwide reaches over 63 million of tonnes, while the Italian production of apples is of 2,142,000 tonnes: the 46% come from Alto Adige (978,000 tonnes) that with its 18,000 hectares of cultivations represent the cradle of the European production and distribution of apples.

Producers of apples have been favoured in the cultivation of this fruit, all over the world, also by a great attention given to the most successful varieties and to a renewal of apple varieties.

VARIETIES

Usually apple varieties are classified according to the maturation period of the apple, that can occur in summer, fall or winter: the selection of fall apples, that conveniently stored can last until the following spring, is very popular.
Among the apple varieties cultivated and distributed on the fruit and vegetable market, we will here describe the most popular:

The “Annurca” apple is an apple variety widely cultivated and produced in the Southern regions of Italy, particularly in Campania; its skin is winy red, the flesh is white and has a sweet-acidic taste and is slightly fragrant; producers of "Annurca" apple usually harvest the fruit between September and October, but it keeps safe until advanced spring. It is suitable both for table consumption or for the industrial processing of the fruit and it is widely exported all over the world.
Then we have the Breaburn apple, crunchy and flavoured, which is widely cultivated, imported and exported all over the world by wholesalers of apples and by fruit and vegetable farms. The Braeburn apple is hard to the touch, yellow-green, with vertical stripes that can be, depending on the area of cultivation, from light orange to deep red. It was discovered by chance few years ago and it is supposed to be a breed of the Lady Hamilton and the Granny Smith apples. The Braeburn apple is named after the first orchard who commercially produced it on a large-scale, exporting it from New Zealand all over the world. It has a unique combination of sweet and acidic taste: for this reason, it is optimal if eaten fresh; furthermore it is one of the few apple varieties that keeps its beautiful round shape when cooked. The harvesting of the Braeburn apple takes place between October and April, but the variety is well known because it stores well if kept in cool and dry places and is available on all apple markets and wholesaling.
In Belgium, there has been a production of apples called “Nicotter Kanzi” derived from Braeburn apples. The skin of these apples is pinkish to be red, they have a regular shape and are medium sized; their flesh is crisp, nicely acidic and flavoured. It withstands well handling and for this reason is suitable as a production of apples for industry, as it stores perfectly until May.
The Fuji apple is a two-colour variety that comes from Japan: the skin colour goes from light to deep red, speckled with some yellow and green, the flesh is hard, crisp and juicy and the apple has an intense flavour. The Fuji apple is sweet, slightly acidic and flavoured. Apart from Japan, from where this apple variety comes from, the Fuji apple is produced also in the fruit-growing areas of Valtellina and is distributed and exported all over the world, thanks to its qualities that keep unaltered for long time.
The Fuji Kiku 8 apples are instead a mutation of the Fuji apple, discovered and produced for the fruit and vegetable market by A. Braun in Japan. The fruit in this case is bigger and has a round shape slightly elongate. It is a cultivation with excellent organoleptic qualities and its fruits look better compared with the other "Fuji", as they are evenly striped and are of a shiny ruby red. The flesh is very crisp, flavoured and has a high sugar content.
The Golden Delicious apple is the most popular variety in Italy and all over the world: the skin is typically yellow, more or less rusty. It is a flavoured apple, sweet and crisp and its flesh is thick and juicy, sweet and flavoured. This apple is perfect to be consumed fresh, however it is also perfectly suitable cooked, both for desserts, for example as a garnish in cakes, or in the preparation of original savoury plates. The Golden apple sugars are quickly absorbable, it is diuretic, refreshing and detoxifying; it is also rich of polyphenols that are highly bioactive and therefore they can slow down the damaging effects of free radicals and prevent ageing. The best apples of the Golden delicious variety produced for the fruit and vegetable market are rather big fruits, which bear about 150-200 g., their skin is golden yellow, apart from the small part around the stem. There are also Golden delicious apples that have a light green skin, they are smaller and are valued especially abroad: the latter have a white flesh, to be green near the apple core, they are sweet-acidic, and a slightly floury texture when they are completely ripe, while they are more juicy if they are not completely ripe. This kind of apples store for long periods and for this reason are largely produced and distributed by wholesalers of apples and by fruit and vegetable farms, and finally frequently imported and exported.
A variety of apple that can be compared to the Golden delicious is the “Tentation Delbush”, a beautiful apple with excellent taste qualities. The fruit has a golden-yellow skin and a delicate, juicy flesh; it tastes very good and has a high sugar content, with a pleasant flavour slightly similar to anisette. It is an unpopular apple and it is traded by few, however its success on the international fruit and vegetable market is growing quickly.
The Granny Smith apple is an apple variety coming from Australia, with an intense green colour, bright and shiny. It is an apple suitable for the distribution and the consumption: it is very juicy, crisp, sweet and acidic, hard and energetic. Not only it is really valued alone, but also in salads for its pleasant sharp taste. The Granny Smith apple ripens in fall and it is cultivated in the major part of the Italian country, despite the fact that it is highly exported abroad. The hybrid apple variety “Nicogreen green star" was created by crossbreeding the cultivations Delbarestivale and Granny Smith: it is a variety that produces apples with a light green skin lightly white speckled with red stripes on the part exposed to the sun. Their shape is beautiful and regular: the flesh is crisp, pleasantly acidic and smooth flavoured. These apples store in the fridge until the end of June keeping their organoleptic qualities thus being perfect for table consumption.
The Reneitte apple is a very fine apple variety with an outstanding flavour and an excellent keeping: these apples are particularly suitable for mountain environments. If the Reneitte apple is just ripen, its skin will be yellow-green, the flesh will be very soft, juicy and with a low content of sugar. It is suitable for table consumption, both uncooked or cooked, because it turns its flavoured acidity when raw in juicy and hard sweetness when cooked. It is perfect for desserts and usually it is the main ingredient for the strudel, even though nowadays some people prefer to use sweeter apples.
The Pink Lady apple is particular, with its pink skin and its crisp and juicy flesh. Its taste is sweet, intense and flavoured: in the latest years the Pink Lady had such a great success on the fruit and vegetable market, that it has been distributed, imported and exported all over the European continent.
Finally, other important apple varieties are the Imperatore apple, with a winter ripening period and big sized, used both for the direct consumption and for the food industry, the Jonagold apple, very juicy and flavoured, the Morgeduft apple, with a bittersweet taste and a very hard flesh and the Pinova apple. New apple cultivations, whose production began a short time ago but already very valued, produced for the import/export of apples in the wholesaling on the fruit and vegetable market are the Stark delicious apple, the Red Chief apple, the Red Delicious apple and the Royal Gala apple.
Furthermore, there are also countless tests that have the purpose to create new varieties for the distribution and the trade of apples on the fruit and vegetable market. Among the others we can remember the MODÌ CIVG 198 varieties, a development of a CIV (Centre for Variety Innovation) project on the Rubens® apple. This particular apple variety has a truncated-cone fruit, perfectly sized and of a very bright purple red colour on almost all the surface. The flesh is very hard, crisp, juicy and yellow, with a high content of sugar and acids. The organoleptic characteristics of the MODÌ apple are important: the fruit keeps well and the flesh is hard and juicy. The apple reaches a complete ripening a week earlier than the Golden delicious apple, the organoleptic characteristics keep unaltered with the course of time and permit a great distribution of Modì apples and their import/export on all the European fruit and vegetable market.
There are also other very special apple varieties, such as the Caudle apples, produced and traded on the fruit and vegetable market only by few farms that have joined a specific club, the Honeycrunch apples, with American origins, that derive from a breed cross between the Honey Gold and Macun varieties and are retailed by the University of Minnesota (USA); the apple became more popular when it was imported in France and nowadays it is valued for its light, refreshing and crisp flesh.
Finally there is the Rubens apple, that was created by an Italian experiment: its skin has a very beautiful colour with red-orange stripes on a green-yellow background.

ORGANIC APPLES

As for all fruits and vegetables, nowadays also in the sector of the production and the distribution of apples more attention is given to organic apples, result of a non-invasive farming that does not employs chemical products on plants to remove pests and diseases.
Nowadays, the producer of organic apples is a careful farmer who respects the environment and gets therefore many opportunities, that help to produce a more natural product that is not processed with chemical products and that is more respectful of the environment: these specific treatments permit to the farms which produce organic apples to be granted a certification with a special trademark which qualifies the organic characteristics of the product.
Also in this case, there are many varieties of organic apples that are beautiful and have a tempting taste: the Biomela apple, the Vog apple and many other organic apples are typical examples of the production of organic apples that are later distributed by wholesalers, farms and salespersons through the fruit and vegetable trade.
Many farmers and wholesalers of apples and other fruit and vegetable products commit to a fairer and more responsible agriculture, protecting apples and the other products without using chemical additives and pesticides.
Also the consumer has actually become more aware and sensitive to organic products, first of all to organic apples, present on the fruit and vegetable market during all the year thanks to the production, the distribution, the sale and the exportation done by farms, producers of organic apples, wholesalers who sale apples for the direct consumption or for the processing of the apples in the food industry.

Producers, farms, import/export of APPLES

Nowadays there are many farms and agricultural entrepreneurs who work in the sector of the processing of apples, in the fruit and vegetable trade or in the sector of the vegetables’ sale, among which stands out the production of apples. These farms usually have a EU certification for the production of apples and other fruits and vegetable.
Thanks to our yearbooks FruitNEWSLETTER and MEC Ortofrutticolo (and their digital versions) you can easily contact fruit and vegetable farms or obtain information about them. In particular you can find a list of farms who:

produce apples (certified farms for apples, farms that produce specific and unique varieties of apples, fruit and vegetable farms in general, farms who produce organic apples)
deal with the trade of apples, who are retailers of apples, wholesalers of apples, importers of apples, exporters of apples and operators who deal with the wholesaling of apples

Furthermore, as to this specific cultivation, very important in the world of fruit and vegetable farms, we give you the opportunity to access zipmec.eu, the biggest search engine for fruit and vegetable farms all over the world, where you can obtain information on:

farms who produce apples
certified farms for the production of apples
producers of unique apple varieties
farms who produce organic apples
farms that deal with the trade of apples
retailers of apples
wholesalers of apples
importers of apples
exporters of apples
operators who deal with the wholesaling of apples

Zipmec.eu is easily accessible and always up-to-date.
It is list of farms for the production of apples, the retailing of apples, the sale of apples, the import/export of apples, the wholesaling of apples, and in general of any farm active on the fruit and vegetable market that is involved in apples’ production.
Apart from farms involved in the sector of apples, of course you can find also lists and information about any farm of the world fruit and vegetable market.

The MEC Ortofrutticolo describes a lot of apple varieties: for each variety of apples it shows the agronomic and morphologic characteristics and a picture of the product.
In the catalogue you will find the product characteristics, such as shape, skin and flesh colour.
For each apple variety the MEC Ortofrutticolo shows the list of farms, such as producers of apples, salesperson of apples, wholesalers of apples, importers of apples and exporters of apples, specifying for each farm the headquarter address and any website to contact personally the producer and retailer of apples.

Zipmec.com RSS Channels

Updated companies

Buy and Sell Board

Company descriptions

Fruit and Vegetables Exhibitions and Events

News, press releases, products launch...

New advertisers

Exhibitions and events attendees

Our RSS Feeds

Use our RSS feeds: you will be instantly informed about the products offered/searched for on our site www.zipmec.com; about news and press releases of the fruit and vegetable companies; about the forthcoming events/exhibitions of the fruit and vegetable sector; about the companies that have modified their contacts and much more useful information for your job. It is really simple to subscribe to our RSS feeds: click here.