Scientists: Apple pectin keeps allergies away

Yomiuri Shimbun ^ | 2002-11-08

[Lessismore]

An apple a day can protect you from allergies, according to an agricultural research institute in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Researchers at the National Institute of Fruit Tree Science under the National Agricultural Research Organization said they asked 14 men and women to consume 8.4 grams of refined apple pectin per day, or the equivalent of six apples.

According to the researchers, after three weeks, the recorded levels of histamine--an allergy-causing substance--in the blood of the test subjects had fallen considerably in 11 of the 14 subjects, five of which saw their histamine levels halved.

The subjects' histamine levels returned to their previous levels after they stopped taking the apple pectin, a type of complex carbohydrate, the researchers said.

An epidemiological survey conducted for 25 years in the Netherlands already identified that apples were effective in preventing allergies.

However, the researchers proved by their experiment that pectin was the key ingredient in apples that acted to prevent allergies, they said. No food other than apples has yet been found effective in reducing histamine, the researchers said.

"Having an apple a day does have an allergy prevention effect," said Keiichi Tanaka, director of the Postharvest Physiology Laboratory at the institute.

[bluefish]

I take a "Green" powder in the morning and notice I have no allergies when doing so. It adds bulk via Pectin. I switched brands b/c the new one was bragging about no "bulk fillers like Pectin." It was loaded with all the other goodies, but my allergies returned. Back to the original brand and back to no allergies. Maybe there is something to this!

[FreeTheHostages]

Interesting. You guys know?: is "pectin" in apple usually found in the peel? or is throughout?

[Pushi]

What's Green powder?

[Pushi]

Throughout. Pectin is what makes jelly gel. It deteriorates if fruit gets too ripe.

[CoolCD]

Make sure you eat organic too.

[CoolCD]

Making Your Own Apple Pectin
By Sam Thayer
From The Forager. Volume 1, Issue 3. August-September 2001

When making homemade jams and jellies, commercial powdered pectin is usually the most expensive ingredient. A few generations ago, powdered pectin wasn't readily available, and the skill of making pectin at home was common knowledge for the family cook - yet today it is a rare individual who knows how to do this. I learned how to extract pectin from apples a few years ago when I made jams and jellies for a living (as many as 600 jars per day). Not only does this save money, but more importantly, it provides the satisfaction that only comes with doing things from scratch - one of the reasons that I love using wild foods.

To prepare liquid apple pectin, it is best to use under-ripe apples that are still a bit green, hard, and sour. Ripe apples contain less pectin, but the level varies greatly from one tree to the next; some varieties are suitable when ripe, while some have virtually no pectin by that time. Over-ripe apples are the worst. You can use your damaged or misshapen apples for making pectin. Chop them in halves or quarters, fill a large pot, and then add just enough water to almost cover the apple chunks. Cover the pot and place it on low heat for a long time, until the apples are fully cooked and you have something that looks like runny applesauce with skins and seeds in it. Stir the apples every twenty minutes or so while they are cooking.

I arrange a strainer for this "sauce" by placing a cheese cloth (actually a white T-shirt) over the top of a five-gallon pail, secured by a cord tied around the rim. (A piece of cheese cloth in a colander works fine for smaller amounts.) The hot applesauce is then poured into the strainer; what drips out the bottom should be a clear, thick liquid that's a little bit slimy to the touch. That's your liquid apple pectin. I usually let mine strain overnight, because it drips slowly. You can get more pectin by pressing it, but then it comes out a little cloudy and carries more of the under-ripe apple flavor. I like to make a few gallons of this pectin at a time and then save it by canning or freezing - it's not hard to get a year's supply with one batch.

To test the strength of the pectin, pour a little bit of rubbing alcohol into a glass and then drop in a spoonful of pectin. The pectin will coagulate into a jelly-like mass. If this mass can be pulled out with a fork and it forms a heaping gob on the tines, it is concentrated enough to jell perfectly. If it can be picked up by the fork, but mostly hangs from it, then it will jell loosely. If it cannot be picked up by the fork in mostly one mass, then the concentration is too weak for it to jell. In this latter case, you just have to boil it down to increase the concentration of the pectin. (Note: the alcohol test doesn't work right if the pectin is hot.)

You can mix liquid apple pectin with fruit or juice and boil it down until the mixture has enough pectin to jell. This can be a little tricky. If you mix it with a fruit juice such as chokecherry that has little or no natural pectin in it, you will want to boil this mixture down to approximately the same volume as that of the pectin that you put in. If you mix it with high-pectin fruit such as wild grapes, you might only have to boil it down a little. Boiling the fruit-pectin mixture will not harm the flavor unless it cooks to the bottom of the pan, which will not happen if you keep stirring it as it boils. (An overcooked or burnt flavor is generally the result of cooking the jam for too long only after the sugar has been added.) I like to use liquid pectin instead of water to cover fruits such as currants or wild cherries when I boil them to extract the juice. After boiling down a little bit, such juice often has enough pectin to jell. If it is cooled down, the pectin concentration of the juice can be determined using the alcohol test described above. One great thing about apple pectin is that it can be used to dilute or balance the flavors of certain fruits that are not tart enough to make superb jam by themselves, such as elderberry and chokecherry.

When using homemade pectin, you can't just follow the proportions found on the chart in a Sure-Jell packet; you have to understand something about what makes jelly jell. Basically, there are two factors involved in this: the concentration of sugar and the concentration of pectin. Too little of either one, and you end up with syrup. It is possible to compensate for a little less sugar with more pectin, or vice-versa - but you can only stray from the recommended ratios a little bit. The most common reason that people have batches that do not jell is because they want to add less sugar than the recipe calls for. If you are going to make jam or jelly, you may as well accept right now that these confections are mostly sugar; that way, hopefully, you will avoid this temptation.

When you reckon that your fruit-pectin mixture is about right, mix in sugar at a ratio of about 5 cups of fruit-pectin (or juice) to 7 cups of sugar. Stir constantly - especially with jam - to keep it from burning to the bottom of the pan. After the jelly comes to a full, rolling boil, let it do so for about a minute. Then, if everything has been done right, it should be ready to pour into jars. If you are not confident, however, this is the stage for the final jelly test. Turn the heat down low when the boiling begins. Dip a large spoon into the mixture and then hold it over the pot sideways. If the last jelly falls off the spoon in a sheet rather than a drop, or if you get a drop that hangs down bulging at the bottom and doesn't fall (this happens especially with wooden spoons), then you're in business. If the jelly passes this test in either way, bring it briefly to a vigorous boil on high heat. Here you will find yet another indicator of whether it will jell or not. It will not just boil; it will boil up, get foamy, and probably make you scared that it will boil over. (If you don't turn the heat off soon enough, it will boil over.) This is when you pour the jam into clean mason jars and cover with clean lids. Turn the jars upside-down for a minute or two to sterilize the lids, right the jars, and try to ignore them for a few hours while they set. (Note that home canning of jam and jelly is not dangerous, and you do not need to sterilize the jars in a boiling-water bath or use a pressure canner!)

Hopefully this doesn't make the whole process seem harder than it is. Like many skills, once you learn how, it's a piece of cake. It may be encouraging to know that I never use the alcohol test anymore, and rarely even rely on the last jelly test. After making a number of batches, you can tell just by looking at the jelly if it's going to jell.

Is it worth all this trouble just to make your jam from scratch? Trouble? There's no trouble when I do it - just a lot of fun. And that's what it's all about.

Sam Thayer is the Editor of The Forager and Director of the Wild Food Institute. Be sure to click here for subscription information.

[FreeTheHostages]

Thanks! I think my Mom in Vermont makes this and that I've helped her, as I read these instructions.

She makes a very good, slightly runny apple jelly.

[Lessismore]

We had a Dolgo crab apple tree when I was a boy, and most years I would pick a couple of pails of the tiny red apples. My mother would boil them down with the skins on and make the most beautiful and tasty jelly.

[exhaustedmomma]

Pectin in apples (& pears) have been used for centuries as a healing factor in diarrhea. Pear nectar use to be a common remedie for vomitting... pectin, again.

Interesting info... I have never heard of apple pectin reducing allergies.

[bluefish]

Green Powder, generically, is things like Alphalpha Grass, Oat Grass, etc. Some are just a single product (hyped as the next wonder drug). Some are combination of as many as 50 ingredients from pro-biotics to apple fiber & pectin to brocolli powder to other exotic health nut stuff. I always liked the way I seemed healthier when taking my "Green Vibrance" brand in the morning. I never ate enough vegetables. I could start, but may never get everything in this jug. I figure about half the ingredients may be worthwhile and the other half may be just label dressing. A scoop in water. Some like the taste. I just "tolerate" it. I stop taking it b/c it is a pain or doesn't taste good enough to continue, but then certain minor annoyances (like allergies) return and then I remember to take it again.

[moteineye]

Is the name "Green"?I need to know.

[Consort]

I think I'm allergic to Apple Pectin.

[bluefish]

There are different ones. I like two brands: "Green Vibrance" (can't remember the maker) and "ProGreens" (Nutricology).

Of course, based on this article, maybe I should just eat an apple every day!

[A CA Guy]

I know that the apple skins are a good source of fiber, can you just eat skins to get the benefit?

[piasa]

Southern Illinois Dutch (Reagan) Apple Cake

From the kitchen of: piasa
( Comment: Here’s a way to use those whiteless Al Sharpton yolks. It's a really easy recipe, no need for a mixer or anything like that, and you can't mess it up - unless you don't make more than one of these things. You're going to run out of slices right quick. )

INGREDIENTS

CAKE:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg yolk
2 Tbspn milk

APPLE LAYER

2 1/2 cups thinly sliced apples
2 Tbspn butter

TOPPING:
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbspn flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbspn butter
INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the first three ingredients in a medium bowl. Cut in the 1/2 cup of butter with a pastry blender.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with the milk and add to the dry ingredients you just mixed. Mix with a fork, just to moisten, and then spread evenly in a small 8 x 8 cake pan.

Cover the top with an overlapping layer of apples and dot with remaining 2 Tbspns of butter.

Mix the topping together and sprinkle over the apples. Bake in a 375 degree F oven or until apples are tender, serve warm.

[Pushi]

Thanks.

[TheLooseThread]

"Green Powder, generically, is things like Alphalpha Grass, Oat Grass, etc..."

Hmmm. I've always stayed away from these because I'm alergic to some grasses. So, I have no idea what to think about this. Take it, don't take it....

[Auntie Mame]

You have just made my day with this pectin information. Copied to my recipe list TWICE! Thank you!

[bluefish]

Who knows in that case. However, the ProGreens product, from Nutricology, MAY be ok. I think it is free of gluten (or I would be surprised if it wasn't). Don't know if you find that in grasses, or if consumed grasses has the same effect as inhaled! The founder of Nutricology was apparently completely debilitated by allergies and began researching organic foods, herbs, etc. I think the foundation of the company was originally centered around allergies, although it has since expanded into one of the larger megavitamin companies. In fact, Nutricology is also referred to as Allergy Research Group. Don't know if that was an original name and the new name was b/c of an expanding line of product, or if there was a merger along the way.