Farmers are modifying their grapes to be so sweet that they are almost dangerous for diabetics to eat.
Growers have focused on the ‘quality’ of their fruit, which means more sugar, as well as global warming causing increased sweetness.
Candy-like fruits are being bred to taste sweeter, and many have been renamed to resemble candy.
Cotton Candy Grapes, Jelly Beans, Gum Drop Grapes, Pinkglow Pineapples, Sunshine Watermelons, and Pink Strawberries have all been bred to stray away from their original flavors.
Diabetics should be careful to moderate their consumption of high-sugar fruits, such as pineapple, with fruits that are grown to be sweeter and have fewer phytochemicals that make them just as healthy and more dangerous for people with the condition.
Candy-like fruits are being bred to taste sweeter, and many have been renamed to resemble candy. Pictured: A hidden pink apple that has been bred to taste like ‘strawberry lemonade’
Oishii’s strawberries are so mushy they must be placed in foam containers to survive and cost a whopping $15 for a tray of 12 berries.
Humans aren’t the only ones affected by the changes in reproduction, as the Melbourne Zoo reported in 2018 that they were forced to stop giving their animals fruit because it caused cavities.
The monkeys at the zoo were weaned off bananas to a plant-based diet with less sugar in an attempt to help them lose weight.
Research in 2010 showed that the sugar content of many fruits is higher than before due to ‘continuous selection and improvement’.
Most modern apple varieties are, on average, sweeter than crab apples, with the bitterness and acidity removed.
Studies of wild apples suggest that there is a wider variation in sugar content between them, with modern supermarket apples held at the same level of sweetness.
However, global warming has been partially blamed for rising sugar levels, and research shows that apples become sweeter and softer with rising temperatures.
The Brix scale is how breeders measure the sugar content of fruit, which refers to the percentage of sugar by mass.
Fresh peaches range from nine to 12 degrees Brix, while modern cherries typically have 20 Brix or higher.
Cotton Candy Grapes, Jelly Beans, Gum Drop Grapes, Pinkglow Pineapples, Sunshine Watermelons, and Rose Strawberries have all been bred to stray away from their original flavors.
Research in 2010 showed that the sugar content of many fruits is higher than before due to ‘continuous selection and improvement’. Pictured: a Sunshine watermelon
Humans aren’t the only ones affected by the changes in reproduction, as the Melbourne Zoo reported in 2018 that they were forced to stop giving their animals fruit because it caused cavities. Pictured: Plums bred to taste like cherries
Peaches are being targeted by plant breeders to increase higher sugar peach varieties, led by plant breeder and scientist Marco Cirilli.
He told the Wall Street Journal that the average peach can be improved by leaving it in a container on a sunny windowsill for a few days and is part of an Italian project trying to create peaches with a Brix score of 25.
Fruit allowed to stay on the tree longer results in sweeter, fuller-flavored fruit, and English apple growers say that apples bred for sweetness do not ‘fully develop’ if picked too early.
Strawberries are also grown to have a wide variety of flavors, including one created to taste like a pink Starburst and another to taste tropical.
Oishii’s strawberries are so mushy they must be placed in foam containers to survive and cost a whopping $15 for a tray of 12 berries.
They also measure the Brix level of each berry to ensure it is consistent across all packages.
Del Monte has also created two new pineapples, their Honeyglow, which is chosen for a more pronounced flavor, and their Pinkglow option, which are the color of ham and sell for $15 each.
Only some fruits are genetically engineered: Pinkglow has a gene that is attenuated to produce a less yellow pineapple.
A set of Driscoll’s designer strawberries features Rose Berries, Tropical Bliss, and Sweetest Batch, which emits the same fruit punch flavor.
They are one of the only companies to cross by hand and breed over 100,000 varieties a year, choosing one ‘elite mother plant’ to cross with another.
Del Monte has also created two new pineapples, their Honeyglow, which is picked for a more pronounced flavor, and their Pinkglow option, which are the color of ham and sell for $15 each.
Only some fruits are genetically engineered, and Pinkglow has a gene that is attenuated to produce a less yellow pineapple.
Baldor Specialty Foods has also offered Sunshine Watermelon, with a golden yellow rind and magenta flesh, as well as Hidden Rose Apple, which has pink flesh and is meant to taste like strawberry lemonade.
Dillard’s director of strawberry breeding, Phil Stewart, told the New York Times: ‘It’s very rewarding as a breeder to produce something that people love so much.
‘The world needs alfalfa, but no one gets excited when you come to a party with a box of alfalfa, you know?’
