Apples can be stored in a cool, dark cabinet with plenty of circulating air. They are use as an antidiarrheal. They store well, but the longer the storage, the greater the natural loss of moisture and the more likely the chance that even the crispest apple will begin to taste mealy.Store apples in the refrigerator. Soluble fiber (pectin) may interfere with the absorption of dietary fats, including cholesterol.To prevent baked apples from melting into mush, core the apple and fill the center with sugar or raisins to absorb the moisture released as the apple cooks. Commercial bakers keep the apples in their apple pies firm by treating them with calcium while home bakers will have to rely on careful timing.When buying apples, look for those that are firm and brightly colored.Apples can also be used to lower cholesterol levels. When you cut into the apple, you tear its cells, releasing polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that darkens the fruit.Check the apples from time to time.Red apple skins are colored with red anthocyanin pigments. Ninety-eight percent of all juices, including apple juices, sold in the United States are pasteurized to stop all natural enzyme action that would otherwise turn sugars to alcohols, eventually producing the mildly alcohol beverage known as apple cider (non alcoholic cider is plain apple juice). It also keeps them from turning brown inside, near the core, a phenomenon that occurs when apples are stored at warm temperatures. Acid inactivates polyphenoloxidase, so you can slow the browning (but not stop it completely) by dipping raw sliced and/or peeled apples into a solution of lemon juice and water or vinegar and water or by mixing them with citrus fruits in a fruit salad. When an apple is damaged, the injured cells release polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that hastens the oxidation of phenols in the apple, producing brownish pigments that darken the fruit. Apples also have medical benefits. To keep apple slices from turning brown as they dry, apples may be treated with sulfur compounds but that may cause serious allergic reactions in people allergic to sulfites. The flesh of the apple, though, will fall apart as the pectin in its cell walls dissolves and the water inside its cell swells, rupturing the cell walls and turning the apples into applesauce.
