The wax on apple peels is harmless to humans.

The wax on the apple peel mainly comes from three sources:

The first is a layer of fruit wax secreted by the apple epidermis itself during its growth. This fruit wax is an ester component that can prevent external microorganisms, pesticides, etc. from invading the fruit pulp and is harmless to the human body.

The second is artificially added edible wax. Commonly used edible waxes include morpholine fatty acid salts (also known as fruit wax), carnauba wax, etc., which serve to preserve quality, freshness, glazing, and prevent water evaporation. effect. According to the "National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives" (GB2760-2014), edible wax is a food additive that can be used for surface treatment of apples and is not harmful to the human body.

The third is artificially added non-edible wax, mainly industrial wax. The composition of industrial wax is relatively complex and may contain heavy metals such as lead and mercury. Excessive intake will cause harm to human health.

“If apples are coated with industrial wax, the content of heavy metals such as lead and mercury in the fruit will be revealed.” Li Zhixia said that in recent years, the Ministry of Agriculture has conducted fruit quality and safety sampling inspections and risk assessment results. It shows that the content of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium in apples is extremely low and does not exceed the standard; at the same time, none of the more than 100 pesticide residue indicators tested exceeded the standard.

Extended information:

Li Zhixia, a researcher at the Fruit Tree Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that apples are fresh edible agricultural products. After they are mature and picked, they are placed in the warehouse for a period of time or transported to the wholesale market. If the skin is too long, it will easily wrinkle. Waxing the skin can prevent water loss, solve the problem of skin shrinkage, and extend the storage time of apples. In addition, after waxing, the surface of the apples will be bright and fresh, and the apples will sell well and sell for a higher price.

Li Zhixia said that waxing of apples generally occurs during the storage process, and there is no need for waxing during the planting process. In the past, post-harvest preservation, logistics technology and transportation conditions such as cold storage and cold chain were not developed enough. It took a long time to transport apples to wholesale markets after harvesting. During the transportation process, apples were waxed for preservation purposes. With the development of modern cold chain technology and logistics, as well as the rich variety of other seasonal fruits, waxing apples for long-term preservation is no longer popular in China. In addition, the cost of purchasing fruit wax is high, and the possibility of fruit farmers waxing apples is very small.

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