how long does it take for an apple to start rotting?
By Cutie18f
@Cutie18f (9551)
Philippines
December 7, 2012 6:38pm CST
We do not grow apples in our country so the apples that we buy are all imported. I have a question though because a friend told me that vendors inject or spray something to the apples in order to lengthen its shelf life. She even observed some apples she bought recently which gave her the scare because these apples did not show any sign of decomposition or rotting, which she found weird.
I also recently bought some apples and found the same observation. It's been there for almost a week (unrefrigerated) but it did not show signs of rotting. Do you think these apple vendors used something to preserve the fruits for a long time?
This is ironic because we eat apples to be healthy but with the chemicals used to preserve its freshness, we might be doing the exact opposite. What do you think?
7 responses
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
8 Dec 12
There are a number of variations of how long it would take an apple to start rotting, how long it took to get the apple to the store, what the store does with the apples, how the apple is treated, whether it is waxed to keep it shiny or whether it has chemicals sprayed on it. Then of course when you get the apple home where do you store it, as different temperatures will alter the way the apple will stay fresh.
@prashu228 (37524)
• India
8 Dec 12
hi,
we may even expect that. As they are already doing this (injecting chemicals) to ripen the fruits. I heard of one about the apple ,they coat the apples with wax a very think coat to give the shinny look and also to keep the fruit fresh for some days. you can even find it by your self. The more shinny apples have this coat. so we should opt for less shiny ones.you can find the wax on the apples if you try to scratch the skin surface of the apple or else keep the apple in hot water if the wax exists it comes to the surface of the water , i mean you can find it floating.on the surface of water. But again not all apples are having this.
@prashu228 (37524)
• India
9 Dec 12
yes friend, even the wholesalers who import apples agreed to this fact. It was a small research already done here.
Soaping apples?
oh my you are too particular about cleaning apples..isn't it?
oh my you are too particular about cleaning apples..isn't it?
@moondebi (1199)
• Bangalore, India
10 Dec 12
Actually that depends how it is preserved after plucking. Apple is a type fruit which does not rot easily if it is preserved nicely. In our country apple is grown in a particular season but is available throughout the year. Sometimes it remains intact for one month because it is dipped in chemical after plucking.So i think it is better to rot after sometime than to have a chemically laced apple.
@farid_lmu (70)
• Bangladesh
8 Dec 12
what you have observed and heard, its true. Few businessmen doing that for more profit, they are cruel,bustard and don't care about the health issue of the people. They normally use organics in fruits for long-lasting and better to look. So, we have to careful about that.
@Violetkat1234 (17)
•
9 Dec 12
Depends really I think it would last longer out of direct sunlight but it will rot quicker if the skin is broken or if somebody has bitten into it and left it, I think it tends to start rotting if the inside is exposed but I'm no expert :)
@Arieles (2473)
• United States
8 Dec 12
I think it depends on how soon you get it from the store and the store gets it from the delivery truck after it has been picked. If you get your apples shortly after they were picked they will last a lot longer. I've had apples keep in the frig for at least two weeks. I go through a bag of apples usually within one week, because I have one with my oatmeal everyday. Also, I keep my organic apples in the crisper in the refrigerator. If your apples are not decomposing right away, it might be the chemicals they were sprayed with.
