We all have tasted the regular green grapes, but these new flavored grapes taste like sweet cotton candy floss right from a carnival or circus! These grapes are not genetically modified but good old plant breeding techniques were used.
Grapery- The Plant Breeders
The grapes are grown in the U.S by a California-based distributor, Grapery. Grapery produces more than just grapes that bring a surprise in the mouth of the consumers from the very first bite.
They apply plant-breeding techniques. Currently, they are distributing their variety of grapes in 50 states across the U.S and some of the Canadian provinces.
The Science Behind This
Cotton Candy grapes are the result of the hybridization of two grape species – a type of Concord-like grape( the grape used in Welch’s jams, jellies, and juices) and a variety of Vitis vinifera, which is a common grape found in grocery stores. For every 100 grams of grapes, 18 grams of sugar are present which is 12% percent more sugar than the normal grapes found in the stores.
The process is tedious. Seedless grapes are unable to reproduce without help, horticulturalists had to remove the grapes’ embryos from the plants and transfer them to individual test tubes, where they grew before being planted in a field. In- short test tube plant baby!
The whole process takes 6 to 15 years. These new hybrid grapes cost twice the price than the regular grapes. “ A lot of fruits become tasteless by the time somebody buys them. We wanted to change that. “ said Cain to NPR.
Are These Grapes Healthy?
Those looking for a sweet snack but still a healthier option, this is a good alternative. They are not injected with sugar hence totally healthy. They are not genetically modified organisms, no artificial sweeteners or flavors are present in the grapes.
These grapes are nutritionally the same as the regular grapes and can have health benefits such as containing antioxidants, being able to help lower blood pressure and alleviate inflammation.
The only difference is in the amount of sugar and taste.
Cotton candy grapes can be frozen i.e it can be refrigerated, just to stay longer. But they are sold in well-packaged packets.
I think this innovation in bringing out the best of plant-breeding techniques to change the taste of regular grapes is just genius and sounds pretty fun to eat! Mothers looking for an option to feed fruits to their children, this is would be a good option. It is also a healthy snack.
Grapery has produced many such grapes having flavors of strawberry, mango, and many more. I hope they keep surprising us with more such new food innovations.
Written By,
Student, NIFTEM
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