Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, Mexico, November 25, 2017.- Mexican fruit growing is on par with or above the most important in the world.
This is demonstrated by a comparative study conducted by the Center for Research in Food and Development (CIAD), between the apple produced in Washington, United States and that obtained in Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, Mexico.
The thesis obtained by Mexican scientists determined that the fruit cultivated in Chihuahuan soil showed better flavor and texture, in spite of not having a better appearance than the one harvested in American lands, which ratified the results obtained by national surveys carried out by the company Bismark in the years 2002 and 2010.
Dr. Guadalupe Isela Olivas, representative of CIAD, announced that in the recent study the qualities of the main productions of the United States and Mexico were compared, and the volatile compounds characteristic of apple flavor were determined and quantified.
The comparison showed that the Golden apple cultivated in Washington obtained greater firmness, acidity and development of coloration, while the content of total soluble solids was similar in the fruit of both regions; however, Chihuahua apples showed higher content of the main volatile compounds, such as flavor and aroma.
On the other hand, cuauhtemense apple required more time to reach commercial maturity than that produced in Washington. The «Golden Delicious» matured at 151 days after flowering and the fruit of Cuauhtémoc took 171 days, that is 20 days later. And another important characteristic shown was that the Washington apple matured at 144 days in the United States and at Cuauhtémoc it did so at 176 days.
The CIAD said that the differences observed in apples may be due to differences in climatic conditions, given the geographical position of each region; that is to say, that the low temperatures of Washington could influence in the obtaining of fruits with greater firmness and better development of color. And in contrast, the photosynthetic light that occurs in the region of Cuauhtémoc is better and causes the apple in this area to have greater flavor and texture.
This study arises due to the need to prove scientifically what the Mexican consumer has always pointed out, that the apple of Cuauhtémoc and its region has a better flavor than the fruit of the same variety produced in the United States.