Apple Consumption Research Articles

Steroid Pattern of Bile and Feces in Response to a Fruit-Enriched Diet in Hypercholesterolemic Hamsters

The effect of a fruit (apple)-enriched diet on bile secretion and on fecal steroid excretion was studied in two strains of hamster: normal hamsters with normal cholesterolemia and spontaneous hypercholesterolemic hamsters with high-level hepatic cholesterol esters (FEC hamsters). Quantitative and qualitative alterations in the steroid composition in bile and feces were accompanied by changes in intestinal morphology. The fruit diet displayed a choleretic effect and increased the output of bile acids from liver in FEC hamsters. In addition, bile collected continuously from cannulated apple-fed animals was enriched with conjugates of cholic acid. Moreover, apple consumption lowered the lithogenic index of the bile. In response to the fruit diet, fecal excretion of bile acids and neutral sterols increased, essentially in the form of primary bile acids and sterol esters, respectively.

長野県中野市における主要商品作物生産と農協の役割

This paper deals with the role of Nakano City Agricultural Cooperative Association, which participates in the production and shipping out of major cash cops. The results are summarized as follows:Apple production began to decrease since the middle of the 1960's in Nakano City, because of the stagnation of apple consumption and the desease of apple trees. However, the production of peach, kyoho-grape, enokitake-mushroom, asparagus, and peony increased largely fulfilling the fall in fruit production. Now these crops are cultivated as major crops here. Because of the decrease of apple production cooperative spraying groups had to change their nature and the scale of each cooperative spraying group has become smaller.Since the late 1970's, new apple varieties began to be produced. Consequently, the apple production has been increasing again in Nakano City. Conversely, peach and peony production began to decrease, affected by the fall of market prices in the early 1980's.The Nakano City Agricultural Cooperative Association has organized 23 farmer's group calld bukai in association with each cash crop, since the farmer's variegated opinions how to produce and ship out had to be under control. Large scale facilities and equipments for cooperative production and shipping out were installed by the Nakano City Agricultural Cooperative Association, and the bukai manages and operates these for their needs. The bukai for each cash crop is playing a leading part in the production and sale of each cash crop. Especially, the bukai for enokitake-mushroon and also that for kyoho-grape have a great leadership. These two groups are very active by paying much attention to market prices.

Pulmonary Lipogranulomatosis Due to Excessive Consumption of Apples

A 55-year-old man was admitted for treatment of unstable angina. Chest x-ray films showed a micronodular pattern, but there were no respiratory symptoms. Autopsy, carried out following sudden death, revealed pulmonary granulomas surrounding lipid crystals. The same crystals were found elsewhere: lymph nodes, spleen, liver, adrenal glands, and were composed of aliphatic hydrocarbons of vegetal origin, mainly C29H60. Investigation of the case history revealed excessive consumption of apples, to which the hydrocarbon deposition could be attributed, since C29H60 is a natural constituent of the cuticular wax in apple peel. This is a unique example of pulmonary granulomatosis due to storage of vegetal hydrocarbons of dietary origin.

Further studies on the cholesterol-lowering effect of apple in human. Biochemical mechanims involved

Thirty volunteers participated in a metabolic study to measure the response of plasma cholesterol to apple consumption. On average, a reduction exceeding 10% was observed. However, the cholesterol-lowering effect of apple depended on the subjects. In 15 subjects the reduction was 11.7% to 29.2%, in the others the cholesterol decline was less than 10% or absent. Moreover, apples tended to increase the α:β ratio of the circulating lipoproteins. The biochemical mechanisms involved in the effects of apple are discussed with regard to the marked changes induced by apple consumption in laboratory animals. Apple could enhance the fecal excretion of bile acids, thereby stimulating the hepatic degradation of cholesterol. This process could also be facilitated both by a strong parallel diminution of the esterification of the newly synthesized sterol and by beneficial modifications in plasma lipoprotein cholesterol transport. These hypotheses, drawn from an extensive study in animals, warrant further investigations in humans under controlled metabolic conditions.

Utilizing an Expanding Western Apple Crop

British Columbia apple production is predicted to rise 57% between 1966 and 1971. Much of this increase will be in the dessert or multipurpose varieties Red Delicious, McIntosh, Golden Delicious and Spartan.Up to a third of the current crop is processed because it fails to meet fresh market standards for size, shape or color. Since no major change in per capita consumption of fresh apples is foreseen much of the increase in the crop will have to be processed.Research and development on new apple products is concentrated on peeled apple products since juice production and sales in Western Canada are already relatively much higher than in other parts of North America. New products and processes developed at Summerland include frozen apple crisps, frozen baking apples, frozen applesauce in “particulate” form, canned jellied applesauce, a new process for canned baked apples, drum dried apple-berry sauce flakes, an improved pirocess for dehydrofrozen apples, and a continuous process for vacuum treatment of apple slices.