Arctic apple is the trademark for a group of patented apples that contain a nonbrowning trait (when the apples are subjected to mechanical damage, such as slicing or bruising, the apple flesh remains as its original color) introduced through

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

. They were developed through a process of

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of Genetic engineering techniques, technologies used to change the genet ...

by Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. Specifically, gene silencing reduces the expression of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), thus delaying the onset of browning. It is the first genetically engineered apple to be approved for commercial sale. The US

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

(FDA) in 2015, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Government of Canada in 2017, determined that Arctic apples are as safe and nutritious as conventional apples.

Nonbrowning method

Developing nonbrowning Arctic apples relies upon a technique called

RNA interference RNA interference (RNAi) is a biological process in which RNA molecules are involved in sequence-specific suppression of gene expression by double-stranded RNA, through translational or transcriptional repression. Historically, RNAi was known by ...

(RNAi). This approach enables silencing of PPO expression to less than 10% of its normal expression, but does not change other aspects of the apple. The RNAi process is accomplished through the use of a transgene that uses

gene sequence In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

s that control PPO production. Promoter and terminator gene sequences are used to support the implementation of PPO suppression genes, as is a marker gene which produces a protein (called NPTII) that makes the plant tissue resistant to the

antibiotic An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy ...

kanamycin Kanamycin A, often referred to simply as kanamycin, is an antibiotic used to treat severe bacterial infections and tuberculosis. It is not a first line treatment. It is used by mouth, injection into a vein, or injection into a muscle. Kanamy ...

, allowing transformed plants to metabolize

neomycin Neomycin, also known as framycetin, is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that displays bactericidal activity against Gram-negative aerobic bacilli and some anaerobic bacilli where resistance has not yet arisen. It is generally not effective against ...

and kanamycin antibiotics. This step is used to confirm that silencing PPO was successful.

Regulatory approval and safety

Okanagan Specialty Fruits received regulatory approval for two apple varieties in Canada from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and

Health Canada Health Canada (HC; )Health Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Health (). is the Structure of the Canadian federal government#Departments, with subsidiary units, department of the Gove ...

and in the US from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), part of the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

. Varieties that have received U.S. approval include Arctic Golden (called GD743) and Arctic Granny (GS784) in 2015, and Arctic Fuji (NF872) in 2016. Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny varieties were both approved in Canada in 2015. The Arctic Fuji (NF872) was approved in Canada in 2018. Approval of the apple was opposed by GE Free BC and the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. Approval of the apples was opposed by some tree fruit associations, such as the BC Fruit Growers' Association and Northwest Horticultural Council (Washington State). Opposition of associations was based on concern about market backlash, not on safety of the product. The US FDA stated that the safety evaluation of Arctic apples "ensures that food safety issues were resolved prior to commercial distribution", and the Government of Canada stated "that the genetically modified 'Arctic apple' is as safe for humans, livestock and the environment as conventional apples."

Commercialization

As of late 2017, the Arctic Golden variety began retail sales as packaged, preservative-free apple slices. Packaging bears Arctic branding including their " snowflake" logo and a QR code that can be scanned with a

smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...

to inform consumers about the safety and non-browning benefits via the company website. As of 2020, there were of Arctic apple orchards in

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

, with 17 million lbs (7.7 million kg) harvested in 2021.

References

External links

Arctic Apples: Okanagan Specialty Fruits' Flagship Product
{{Authority control Apple cultivars Biotechnology products Genetic engineering in Canada Genetically modified organisms in agriculture