Consumer attitudes to hypoallergenic apples

Many individuals avoid eating fresh apples because of symptoms of oral allergy syndrome. The development of hypoallergenic apple varieties would allow these individuals to eat apples without adverse reactions. Scientists at the University of Waganingen, Netherlands have conducted a survey to capture the views on an apple cultivar that has been bred to be hypoallergenic among consumers with allergy to apples.

In a previously reported clinical trial, the Santana apple cultivar has been shown to have a low allergenicity. As part of their research into the development and commercialisation of the cultivar, researchers carried out a study to validate the fruit's low-allergenicity outside a clinical setting and test how shoppers felt about the hypoallergenic fruit.

The study involved a pilot-scale launch of the apple variety in 100 supermarket stores across the Netherlands, with purchasers invited to participate in an on-line survey. The apple was packaged with an explanatory leaflet about the Santana brand and apple allergy in general. The majority of the 437 respondents self-reported their apple allergy. The researchers created a control group of non-apple allergic consumers recruited from an existing panel.

Forty-one percent of the apple-allergic participants did not experience an allergic reaction after consuming the Santana apple. Five percent of the allergic consumers reported a strong allergic reaction.

The researchers concluded the Santana variety can be considered suitable for safe consumption by consumers with a mild apple allergy, providing information about the possibility of having an allergic reaction among such consumers is added to the label.

Responses to additional questions in the survey indicated that consumers preferred traditional plant breeding methods but may accept genetic modification as a process if there was a strong perception of personal benefit associated with products. This was especially the case where the benefits were perceived to reduce allergic reactions.

Reference: Schenk et al. 2010. Food Quality and Preference Doi: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2010.08.003