LoliPop® Apples
Estimated Inventory, lb : 0
Description/Taste
LoliPop® apples are a medium-sized varietal, averaging 7 to 7.5 centimeters in diameter, and have a conical to oblong shape with sloping shoulders tapering to a narrow, sometimes slanted base. The fruit’s stem is characteristically long, slender, woody, and fibrous set in a moderately deep and narrow cavity. LoliPop® apples also have a lightly ribbed nature and a thick, smooth, taut, and glossy skin. The variety ripens to golden yellow base hues, almost entirely covered in a dark red to maroon blush. The blush is typically solid or features striping, and the surface is covered in prominent yellow lenticels. The skin also occasionally has a light bloom or greasy feel, depending on age and growing conditions. Underneath the surface, the ivory to cream-colored flesh is fine-grained, firm, and aqueous with a crunchy, dense, and chewy consistency. The flesh also encases a central fibrous core filled with tiny black-brown seeds. LoliPop® apples are edible raw when ripe and release a subtly sweet fragrance. The flesh has a sugar content of 13 to 16 degrees Brix combined with low acidity, creating a mild, sweet, sugary, and subtly tangy taste.
Seasons/Availability
LoliPop® apples are harvested in the late fall through early winter and can be professionally stored through the early summer.
Current Facts
LoliPop® apples, botanically classified as Malus domestica, are a French variety belonging to the Rosaceae family. The late-season apples are a branded commercial type of Inored apples, a cultivar developed by INRAE, the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment in France. The variety was commercially released in the early 21st century and was selected by Innatis, a French apple producer to market under the brand name LoliPop® for increased consumer appeal. LoliPop® apples are valued for their extended storage capabilities, natural scab resistance, crunchy flesh, and sweet taste. The brand heavily promotes LoliPop® apples as “The Candy Fruit” and positions the fruits as a healthy, on-the-go snack and sweet-tasting, candy alternative. LoliPop® apples are exclusively grown in France and are organically and conventionally produced for commercial markets as a fresh eating and multi-purpose, culinary cultivar.
Nutritional Value
LoliPop® apples, like other bi-colored commercial apples, in general, are a source of potassium to balance fluid levels within the body, vitamin C to boost the immune system, fiber to regulate the digestive tract, and magnesium to control nerve functions. Apples also provide vitamin A to maintain healthy organs, vitamin E to protect the cells against free radical damage, phosphorus to repair tissues, and other nutrients, including manganese, zinc, B vitamins, zinc, and copper. The apple’s pigmented, dark red skin indicates the presence of anthocyanins with antioxidant properties to reduce inflammation and protect the overall health and well-being of the body.
Applications
LoliPop® apples have a sweet, subtly tangy taste suited for fresh and cooked preparations. The variety can be eaten with or without the skin, depending on preference, and has a juicy, crunchy nature favored for salads or as an accompaniment to dips. LoliPop® apples are also sliced and layered over parfaits, utilized as a topping over overnight oats, grain bowls, waffles, or smoothie bowls, or layered into sandwiches and on top of nut-butter toast for added crunch. The apple’s mild and sweet nature complement cheeses on appetizer platters, and the fruits can be placed whole in school or work lunches as an on-the-go snack. In addition to raw preparations, LoliPop® apples are popularly made into purees, simmered into jams and jellies, or cooked into sauces as a sweet side to savory meat main dishes. The variety is also used in various baked goods and desserts, including muffins, cakes, pies, crumbles, tarts, fritters, and turnovers. LoliPop® apples pair well with spices such as ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves, caramel, chocolate, vanilla, maple syrup, fruits including strawberries, blueberries, stone fruit, and pineapple, and nuts such as almonds, pine, walnuts, and pecans. Whole, unwashed Lolipop® apples will keep for several weeks to months when stored in a cool, dry, and dark place such as a cellar or in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
LoliPop® apples were given their brand name as a play on the favorite childhood sweet. It is said the apple’s bright red coloring reminded consumers of the red hues seen in lollipops and the flesh has a sweet, sugary taste, similar to the pleasing flavor of candy. LoliPop® apples have a sweet eating experience without excess calories, and the apples are notably cultivated under Vergers écoresponsables, translating to Eco-Responsible Orchards. This certification indicates that the apples have been cultivated with biodiversity and the protection of the environment in mind to create sustainable production methods.
Geography/History
Lolipop® apples are native to France and are a brand name for Inored apples. The variety was developed at the Institut National de la Recherche Pour L'agriculture, L'alimentation et L'environnement, also known as INRAE, in Angers, France. The National Research Institute crossed Pinova apples with a variety labeled as X6398 in 1995 and spent several years testing and evaluating the new seedlings. Further selections were made in 1998 and in the early 21st century, the apples were initially named Inored as a new commercial cultivar. Later in the summer of 2017, a collaboration of eight apple growers in Southern France partnered together to produce Inored apples under the name LoliPop®. The eight French apple producers included Société Terre de Pommes, Métral, Guedj, Pominter, Aurières, SICA Pomme Alpes, Coopérative DLF, and La Cocinnelle. By the fall of 2017, LoliPop® apples were branded and released in the early winter, notably being exported from France to Dubai and Singapore. After their initial success, the apple brand was promoted at the Fruit Logistica conference in Berlin in 2018. Today LoliPop® apples are still exclusively grown in France in the regions of Alpes de Haute Provence, Vaucluse, Tarn et Garonne, and in Isère. The apples are represented under Innatis, a French apple producer, and the variety was selected for its natural disease resistance, allowing apple cultivation to be environmentally friendly and eco-responsible. When in season, LoliPop® apples are sold through select channels in France and other regions of Europe. The variety is also exported to Asia, mainly to Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Long, and Vietnam.
