The composition of apples varies very greatly, as may be easily understood, with the variety of the apple examined, the character of the season in which it grew, and with the individual apple or sample. The best that can be done in showing the composition of apples is to give some of the most reliable analyses, covering the largest range of examinations in this and other countries. In the following table are given three sets of analyses of American apples and two sets of foreign apples, the first three being American and the second series being foreign.
The table gives the number of samples included in the analytical data, and the mean, maximum, and minimum results of the analyses.
| No. of Samples. | Total Solids. | Ash. | Acidity Expressed as H2SO4. | Protein N × 6.25. | Reducing Sugar. | Cane Sugar. | Crude Fiber. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | ||
| Series 1: | ||||||||
| Average, | 13 | 13.77 | .240 | .376 | .590 | 7.04 | 4.59 | .... |
| Maximum, | 16.47 | .320 | .670 | .806 | .... | 7.79 | .... | |
| Minimum, | 9.37 | .170 | .190 | .356 | .... | 1.80 | .... | |
| Series 2: | ||||||||
| Average, | 27 | 16.43 | .27 | .486 | .... | 7.92 | 3.99 | .... |
| Maximum, | 23.36 | .34 | .811 | .... | 11.75 | 6.81 | .... | |
| Minimum, | 13.46 | .17 | .073 | .... | 5.34 | 1.74 | .... | |
| Series 3: | ||||||||
| Average, | 23 | 13.65 | .288 | .452 | .694 | 8.73 | 1.53 | 0.96 |
| Maximum, | 16.55 | .404 | .863 | 1.094 | 10.80 | 2.81 | 1.29 | |
| Minimum, | 10.60 | .228 | .139 | .421 | 6.89 | .15 | .70 | |
| Foreign Variety. | ||||||||
| Series 1: | 17 | 16.42 | .310 | .614 | .39 | 7.73 | .... | 1.98 |
| Series 2: | ||||||||
| Average, | 5 | 15.07 | .290 | .234 | .... | 10.12 | .55 | .... |
| Maximum, | 16.03 | .360 | .329 | .... | 10.69 | 1.11 | .... | |
| Minimum, | 14.04 | .240 | .190 | .... | 9.77 | None | .... |
The combination of the average data of the American series shows a mean percentage of reducing or invert sugar of 7.90 and of cane sugar of 3.40. The average American apple therefore contains 11.30 percent sugar.
Dietetic Value.
—The wholesomeness of apples is well recognized by all authors on physiology and hygiene, and the necessity of at least a partial fruit diet is acknowledged by all. Inasmuch as the apple is one of the most abundant of fruits, being produced in enormous quantities and sold often at a very low rate, its value as a food product is probably not as fully acknowledged by our own people as it should be. Through a greater part of the year apples can be made a staple article of diet. They are, of course, to be most highly recommended uncooked, and especially those varieties which have high palatable qualities and a suitable softness of texture. Very hard apples, even if palatable, are not recommended for eating raw. In a cooked state the apples are scarcely less wholesome and nutritious than in the raw state. It is true that in pastry their good qualities are often counteracted by the poor quality of the pastry envelop which, by reason of the method of its preparation, usually with an excessive quantity of lard or some other oil or fat, is rendered sometimes not only unpalatable but also difficult of digestion. In a stewed condition or prepared in some other unobjectionable manner no adverse criticism can be made upon the quality of the apple as an edible product. It may also be preserved in cans by sterilization by the process described under canned fruits. In this condition the product is known as “canned apples.” When prepared in this way the apples are often flavored with sugar and sometimes with spices.
Many suggestions are often given as to the proper time for eating apples, but it probably makes little difference, so far as their dietary or hygienic character is concerned, whether they are eaten before or after meals or during meals. Since it is advisable, as a rule, not to introduce into the stomach continually fresh portions of food, it may be regarded as safe advice to suggest that the consumption of fruit be made practically a function of the meal and that it be not used indiscriminately, loading the stomach between meals with additional quantities of material which require digestion.
Length of Harvest.
—By selecting varieties that mature early in the summer, in the early autumn, and in the late autumn the period for harvesting apples may be prolonged in the northern states from August to November. During this period, if the different varieties are properly selected for the maturing time, the ripe apple can be offered to the markets fresh from the tree during the entire season. As a rule the later maturing varieties are more palatable, more aromatic, and more nutritious than those that mature early.