Apeel Sciences is an American food technology company based in Goleta, California. Its edible coating product Apeel or Edipeel can make avocados, citrus and other types of fruit last twice as long as usual by using a tasteless edible coating, and reduces food loss and waste as well as reliance on single-use plastic packaging.
Edipeel is allowed for use on the following fruits in the European Union, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom: avocados, citrus fruit, mangoes, papayas, melons, bananas, pineapples, and pomegranates.
On their website they seem to rightfully point out that E471 (apparently a combo of E422 and E570) is already approved for consumption in the EU, so it doesn’t make sense that they’re limited to foods where we don’t eat the peel. If it’s safe and gets the plastic off the cucumbers, I’m for it.
e: Does anyone actually have a source for palladium being used in Edipeel’s manufacture? I can’t find one. Most of what I’m getting in these searches is that the plants they use to make E471 can contain heavy metals they absorb from their environment, and that the levels are low enough to be considered safe by US regulations. (No clue whether the limit is reasonable.)
The necessity of this substance is far from proven, and it uses a palladium as a catalyst which introduces potential heavy metal contamination. This is a venture capital-backed startup. We simply have stricter standards in the EU.
Do you have a source for their use of palladium? Wikipedia says it as well, but I can’t find where that information is coming from. I’m mostly interested in what they’re using it for, and whether other manufacturers of E471 are doing the same or using another method. Livsmedelsverket says it can be an animal product, but Apeel says they make theirs from plants. It’s apparently also possible to make from palm oil, so that’s neat. :|
So E471 is a whole class of hydrocarbons. I was using Wikipedia as a source too. Broadly speaking, catalysts containing heavy metals are often used for synthesizing organic molecules, regardless of the feedstock which can be deeived from plants or animals or whatever. Ideally, the catalyst does not get incorporated into the product, but generally quality control has to be enforced by regulations because corporations love cutting costs by glossing over safety standards.
I don’t think apples need any help either (they actually produce their own wax coating apparently), but the cucumbers are in plastic, and there’s a ton of strawberry waste because they mold immediately. If it is indeed safe then it could be very beneficial in such cases.
In the EU only stuff that is proven safe can be used on edibles. Since that is apparently not the case yet, it is limited to stuff that you don’t eat the peel of
No, the substances in question are already approved for edibles. I think the issue is that additives are not allowed on produce, because the Swedish Livsmedelsverket phrases it in a way that implies such to me.
“Får användas i nästan alla livsmedel som får innehålla tillsatser.” “May be used in nearly all foods for which additives are allowed.” I think it’s reasonable that there’s probably a regulation about not having additives in things people are assuming will be natural. I mean, how would you post allergy warnings on a peach?
I hope I didn’t seem like I disagree with the EU’s caution, or that I was minimizing the seriousness of food issues in the US. I just hadn’t heard of Apeel before and was really surprised when I looked it up because I was expecting to be horrified. I genuinely hope it is safe, both for the sake of people who don’t have a choice and also for the potential value in reducing food waste.
I’m not able to find out whether palladium can be easily rinsed off because Google is desperate to sell me boots, but the company does claim you can wash the fruit, so I hope that’s adequate. I do know that lead can be easily washed off, so maybe?
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a cucumber in plastic. The whole thing looks like a synthetic type of wax, waxing apples is definitely legal in the EU (also, a unwashed apple off the tree has a natural wax coat, and they continue to produce wax in storage) but I think it’s only natural waxes. You could probably get a novel synthetic one approved but the sales aren’t going to be worth the paperwork.
Everything in the EU needs approval, it’s not a “wait and see” type of situation, and E-numbers generally have approval for certain uses, it’s not a blank cheque. It might be fine in this instance but making it a free-for-all would quickly dilute the standards. Also “quantum satis” (“whatever amount is sufficient to achieve the effect”) would lose its meaning if you take the desired effect out of the E number.
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I had to look up Apeel, but I think it’s a good thing actually:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apeel_Sciences
On their website they seem to rightfully point out that E471 (apparently a combo of E422 and E570) is already approved for consumption in the EU, so it doesn’t make sense that they’re limited to foods where we don’t eat the peel. If it’s safe and gets the plastic off the cucumbers, I’m for it.
e: Does anyone actually have a source for palladium being used in Edipeel’s manufacture? I can’t find one. Most of what I’m getting in these searches is that the plants they use to make E471 can contain heavy metals they absorb from their environment, and that the levels are low enough to be considered safe by US regulations. (No clue whether the limit is reasonable.)
The necessity of this substance is far from proven, and it uses a palladium as a catalyst which introduces potential heavy metal contamination. This is a venture capital-backed startup. We simply have stricter standards in the EU.
Do you have a source for their use of palladium? Wikipedia says it as well, but I can’t find where that information is coming from. I’m mostly interested in what they’re using it for, and whether other manufacturers of E471 are doing the same or using another method. Livsmedelsverket says it can be an animal product, but Apeel says they make theirs from plants. It’s apparently also possible to make from palm oil, so that’s neat. :|
So E471 is a whole class of hydrocarbons. I was using Wikipedia as a source too. Broadly speaking, catalysts containing heavy metals are often used for synthesizing organic molecules, regardless of the feedstock which can be deeived from plants or animals or whatever. Ideally, the catalyst does not get incorporated into the product, but generally quality control has to be enforced by regulations because corporations love cutting costs by glossing over safety standards.
How is it a good thing to spray shit on an apple? They last plenty long without that garbage.
I don’t think apples need any help either (they actually produce their own wax coating apparently), but the cucumbers are in plastic, and there’s a ton of strawberry waste because they mold immediately. If it is indeed safe then it could be very beneficial in such cases.
Why are cucumbers in plastic? Strange practice.
In the EU only stuff that is proven safe can be used on edibles. Since that is apparently not the case yet, it is limited to stuff that you don’t eat the peel of
No, the substances in question are already approved for edibles. I think the issue is that additives are not allowed on produce, because the Swedish Livsmedelsverket phrases it in a way that implies such to me.
“Får användas i nästan alla livsmedel som får innehålla tillsatser.” “May be used in nearly all foods for which additives are allowed.” I think it’s reasonable that there’s probably a regulation about not having additives in things people are assuming will be natural. I mean, how would you post allergy warnings on a peach?
deleted by creator
I hope I didn’t seem like I disagree with the EU’s caution, or that I was minimizing the seriousness of food issues in the US. I just hadn’t heard of Apeel before and was really surprised when I looked it up because I was expecting to be horrified. I genuinely hope it is safe, both for the sake of people who don’t have a choice and also for the potential value in reducing food waste.
I’m not able to find out whether palladium can be easily rinsed off because Google is desperate to sell me boots, but the company does claim you can wash the fruit, so I hope that’s adequate. I do know that lead can be easily washed off, so maybe?
deleted by creator
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a cucumber in plastic. The whole thing looks like a synthetic type of wax, waxing apples is definitely legal in the EU (also, a unwashed apple off the tree has a natural wax coat, and they continue to produce wax in storage) but I think it’s only natural waxes. You could probably get a novel synthetic one approved but the sales aren’t going to be worth the paperwork.
Everything in the EU needs approval, it’s not a “wait and see” type of situation, and E-numbers generally have approval for certain uses, it’s not a blank cheque. It might be fine in this instance but making it a free-for-all would quickly dilute the standards. Also “quantum satis” (“whatever amount is sufficient to achieve the effect”) would lose its meaning if you take the desired effect out of the E number.