What's the deal with Apeel?

And why fear of the unknown should lead us to do our own research.

Edit 6/5/2023: Some grammatical issues were cleaned up. Also, a bit more context was added to a few sentences to remove some ambiguity, including the caption for linoleic acid. Also, an answer to the poll has been provided in the comments.

A few weeks ago I received a response to an article that I had restacked. I actually can’t recall what the article was about, and I don’t recall the person who responded. However, I know that the person who restacked the article pointed to a tweet detailing this new preservative that may see widespread use called Apeel.

Aside from a quirky name, Apeel is argued to be a coating placed onto fruits and vegetables with the intent of extending their shelf life, appearing to be derived from plants.

An ad for Apeel is shown below, which speaks of the science behind Apeel in the most loose of terms:

Several people have raised some criticisms of this technology including The Children’s Health Defense, and was also discussed in a video from The Darkhorse Podcast:

As concerns over Apeel began circulating on social media, so-called “fact checkers” took these concerns as a way to rebut these arguments.

Here’s a short list of some of these fact-checks in action:

• AP News: Posts misrepresent safety of produce-protecting solution from Apeel

• USA Today: Fact check: Apeel produce coating edible, considered safe by FDA

• Reuters: Fact Check-Compounds in Apeel’s edible food coating deemed safe by FDA

Now, when first presented with this information I raised questions with respect to the information shown, as it didn’t provide much with respect to what exactly Apeel was. The same can be said for Apeel’s own ad which is extremely ambiguous and relies on "appealing” illustrations displayed in a rather hypnotic method.

And yet, the widespread fears over Apeel seem to have been dictated by this lack of information, as if people should be scared of the unknown rather than taking the time to figure out what exactly they should be scared of. Irrespective of whether Bill Gates funded these technologies (in this case it appears that his foundation has given money to Apeel), it still doesn’t tell us much about what Apeel actually is.

Again, when confronted with ambiguous information I find it strange how few will take these situations in order to do more independent research. Note that these supposed mainstream fact checkers don’t even explain what Apeel is, only using words such as “monoglycerides” and “diglycerides” but not explaining which ones in particular are being used in Apeel.

To be honest, there’s a lot to be said about the actual lack of information provided by these mainstream fact-checkers, including the fact that these articles can really just be a reflection of mouthpieces for these companies.

I’ll say that I myself forgot about Apeel, and only came across the video from Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein while watching another one of their videos.

So rather than fall into fear and narratives, I wanted to provide some context to what exactly Apeel is, and what are some things that are worth considering with respect to this technology.

What are Glycerides

General information provided with respect to Apeel generally refers to the fact that Apeel is comprised of monoglycerides and diglycerides.

For instance, a fact sheet on Apeel notes the following:

Edipeel is composed entirely of a mixture of food grade glycerolipids derived from edible plant oils, specifically the food additive mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, which conform to the specifications set forth by the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC), Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and the European Union.

Interesting, but again ambiguous. What exactly are monoglycerides and diglycerides?

These compounds are merely lipids, with their distinction being derived from containing a glycerol backbone. Glycerol, also known as glycerine (yes, as from the famous Bush song, although the relationship may be in name only) is a triol (a 3-alcohol carbohydrate).

The alcohols on glycerol can be attached to fatty acids by way of esterification/dehydration, and it’s the number of fatty acid tails that are added that dictate the prefix of glycerides.

For instance, a monoglyceride will have one fatty acid tail, diglyceride with two, and triglyceride with a full 3 as shown in the above image.

So far, this tells us that the lipids used in Apeel contain glycerides that have predominately one or two fatty acid tails…and not much else, as we still don’t know which glycerides in particular are of interest.

Which glycerides are in Apeel?

In digging a little deeper I came across this FDA notice from 2019:

This notice also doesn’t tell us much about what these monoglycerides are, but they do not that they appear to be derived from grape seeds, which at least tells us the origin of these fats.

It also makes reference of a prior GRAS (“generally recognized as safe”) report with a number of 648:

The substance proposed by Apeel Sciences for classification as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), is a mixture of monoacylglycerides (i.e., monoglycerides or fatty acid monoesters of glycerol) derived from grape seed for use as an edible barrier (i.e., surface-finishing agent or glazing agent) on the surface of raw fruits and vegetables. The United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has previously reviewed the GRAS status of monoacylglycerides for use as an edible barrier on the surface of raw fruits and vegetables (GRN 648). A letter dated December 20, 2016 from the FDA acknowledges that the FDA has no further questions concerning the determination that the substance is GRAS for these uses. The method of manufacture and product specifications for a mixture of monoacylglycerides have changed since the filing of GRN 648 following further evaluation of plant-based options for sourcing monoacylglycerides. As such, the basis for the determination of GRAS status of a mixture of monoacylglycerides derived from grape seed is described in the following sections.

In looking more into the GRAS 648 I came across the following response letter from the FDA published in 2016, which actually provides a lot more details about these fats:

The response notes that the fats in question are predominately monoglycerides:

The subject of the notice is 1- and 2-monoglycerides primarily of palmitic acid (monoglycerides).^[1] The notice informs FDA of the view of Apeel Sciences that monoglycerides are GRAS, through scientific procedures, for use as a surface-finishing agent and/or texturizer to protect freshness and extend shelf-life of agricultural products such as fruits (e.g., berries, grapes, citrus, bananas, mangoes, avocados) and vegetables (e.g., legumes, roots, tubers). The monoglycerides form a thin, edible physical barrier against moisture loss and oxidation when applied to the surfaces of certain fruits and vegetables.

And in going a few paragraphs down they explain which two monoglycerides in particular make up most of Apeel:

Apeel Sciences states that monoglycerides are composed primarily (≥ 91% by weight) of 2,3-dihydroxypropyl palmitate (CAS registry number: 542-44-9) and/or 1,3-dihydroxypropan-2-yl palmitate (CAS registry number: 23470-00-0) along with other monoglycerides of varying chain lengths. The ratio of 1- to 2-monoglyceride derivatives depends upon the specific application; it will vary by type of fruit or vegetable to be treated and the desired shelf life extension period. The notifier states that monoglycerides are a white to pale yellow powder.

So this provides the first actual remarks with respect to the monoglycerides in question. I should make note that, in contrast to mainstream fact checkers, the article from The Children’s Health Defense does make note of both of these palmitates.

Also, note that the only distinct difference between these two lipids are the organization of the fatty chain on the glycerol backbone. That is, one has the fatty tail bonded to the first alcohol of glycerol, while the other has it bonded to the 2nd alcohol. As for palmitate, the term notes that the ester group from the monoglyceride is derived from palmitic acid, which is a 16-carbon saturated fatty acid. Remember that saturated means that these fatty acids have no double-bonds, which can be seen in the structures below.

Here are the two structures of these palmitates- can you guess which one is the 2,3 palmitate and which one is the 1,3 palmitate?

The two supposed monoglycerides used by Apeel in their technology.

Are these monoglycerides safe?

Now, the main concerns have been over figuring out if these compounds are safe to consume, as has been touted by the FDA, Apeel, and mainstream fact-checkers.

In those instances, the remarks about safety are derived from appeals to authority, in that people have deemed them safe and therefore they must be safe, which many people find to be a rather unsatisfactory answer.

Simultaneously, I can also argue that remarks about the safety of these compounds found in alternative/independent sources are also lacking, with some relying on the fact the above monoglycerides may be used as preservatives/additives in many foods.

Not all seed oils are alike

But if we take a look at the snippet from The Darkhorse Podcast several people commented that these monoglycerides are bad due to them being derived from seed oils (grape seeds in this case), which have recently been argued to be bad for people’s health.

The problem I have with this argument is one that I’ve mentioned several times, including in my response to the individual who first notified me of Apeel on Notes (again, apologies for not remember who first told me about this).

That is to say, compounds derived from seed oils are not dangerous by virtue of coming from seed oils. Rather, it’s what exactly these individual compounds are and what they do that are critical.

For instance, the arguments over the dangers of seed oils are derived from the fact that many seed oils are polyunsaturated, giving them the name PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids). That is, the fatty tails are comprised of many double bonds. Double bonds in fatty acids, especially cis-bonds, make the organization of these molecules difficult. Because they can’t structurally organize themselves, they remain liquid at room temperature. This is why vegetable oils, canola oils, and corn oils are liquid whereas lard and butter are solid when left out.

An example of a commonly found PUFA is linoleic acid, as shown below:

Linoleic acid, which is a commonly found PUFA in many supermarket oils. Note that the above double bonds are cis-bonds, and thus linoleic acid will be liquid at room temperature. Although linoleic acid is being shown as a PUFA, it should be noted that this PUFA is considered to be essential in diet as it serves as a precursor molecule for many other metabolic pathways.

But it’s the degree of double-bond formation in polyunsaturated fats that are argued to be the issue with seed oils. Double bonds provide polyunsaturated fats with regions of oxidation. That is, the double bonds allow for stable free radicals to form in these molecules, as the free radical that forms can be delocalized by way of double bonds and… (hint- the correct word starts with r and ends in -esonance).

`Therefore, the more unsaturated a fatty acid is the more regions for free radical formation. Even better if the free radical forms between two double bonds (hint- look at linoleic acid to figure out where this would be..), which would allow for even more r, -esonance to occur.

Fats that are liquid at room temperature and generally considered good for you include avocado oil and olive oil. In these cases, the unsaturated fatty acids are monounsaturated (only have one double bond; named MUFAs), allowing them to be liquid while also having limited space to become oxidized due to having far fewer double bonds.

All this to say that seed oils aren’t argued to be bad because they are derived from seeds, but because the ability to become oxidized, characterized by the number of unsaturated regions in the lipids, are what are dangerous.

With that in mind, if we look at the above palmitates could we argue that these lipids are dangerous by way of being derived from seed oils or because they are unsaturated?

No, because as stated above the two monoglycerides used by Apeel are saturated since the palmitic acid tail carries no double bonds.

And this should, hypothetically, make sense, because any double bonds (aside from trans-double bonds) would make the fat liquid at room temperature, and thus make it more difficult to coat fruits and vegetables with without resulting in a slick, oily film on these products (think about when you pick up and oily fry or chip and how the oil just rubs onto your hands and gets all over the place).

In contrast, the above molecules are solid at room temperature, and makes sense given the description that the coating produced by Apeel is waxy, and not oily.

This also explains why this molecule is likely used an emulsifier, as it may help to stabilize products due to being solid at room temperature. It would make sense in ice creams, as heavy cream is already comprised of a high degree of saturated fats and so these compounds may serve as some sort of substitute. I can see these compounds possibly being used in some formulation of “low fat” items by messing with the amount of saturated fats needed to make these products more stable or palatable.

Overall, this tells us that these palmitates aren’t a cause for concern by way of being seed oils, but this also doesn’t explain if these molecules individually would be dangerous.

Endogenously produced, but associated with diseased state

When trying to look up information on these palmitates not much came, although some of the information available notes that these palmitates are produced endogenously.

For instance, 1,3-dihydroxypropan-2-yl palmitate has been found within the CNS, and appears to operate in a manner that influences the binding of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) to cannabinoid receptors.¹

Larger triglycerides, such as 1,3-Dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol contain the structure 1,3-dihydroxypropan-2-yl palmitate along with two additional fatty tails, and are found in human milk and are considered a critical nutrient for infants.² This may explain their inclusion in infant formulas (note that the triglyceride is added into infant formulas, and not the monoglycerides found in Apeel).

Interestingly, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl palmitate has been examined as a possible marker of a diseased state. Alterations, generally an increase in 2,3-dihydroxypropyl palmitate, has been found with in those with Guillain-Barré Syndrome³, systemic lupus erythematosus⁴, and multiple sclerosis⁵.

Recent evidence has even suggested that 2,3-dihydroxypropyl palmitate levels may be elevated in COVID patients, and may be related to the inflammation seen in patients.⁶

Keep in mind that this does not tell us what consumption of these monoglycerides will do to us, as consumption of these compounds does not mean they will be readily bioavailable. Unfortunately, all this tells us is that these molecules are produce endogenously, although the actual way these molecules influence our health are difficult to discern.

This tells us that consumption of Apeels comes with some degree of uncertainty, although the endogenous production of these molecules tells us that our body may have ways of using these molecules.

Apeel’s appeal is only skin deep

So far, I would argue that the concerns over Apeel and the monoglycerides aren’t quite there for me to warrant the amount of paranoia seen. At the same time, it doesn’t mean that Apeel would be an overall benefit to consumers.

Consider that the use of Apeel is to extend the shelf life of produce, with visual cues serving as the biggest measure of “freshness” in produce sprayed with Apeel.

Although Apeel may reduce water loss and oxidation, this is only occurring on the outside of the produce. Even though these produce may retain water, they may still be biologically active, in which case metabolism is likely to continue deeper inside the produce. Thus, the outside may remain preserved, while the inside may continue to age- kind of like Hollywood celebrities in a way.

In that regard, these produce may appear edible, but the insides may tell a different story of aging and breakdown.

Note that Apeel’s website comments that the use of these preservatives may extend the time needed to go from farm to your grocery store:

So it’s not as if produce sprayed with Apeel will last longer in your refrigerator. It may just mean that it will last longer on the shelves, or will take longer to reach markets while sitting idly at some distant point in the supply chain.

In that regard, the actual rate of decay for these produce will be unknown, especially given the fact that evolutionary visual cues used to determine a produce’s freshness will no longer be an effective method of elucidating a produce’s freshness.

And this may be the biggest issue with widespread use of Apeel. This move towards aesthetic foods doesn’t tell us much about their nutritional content, and it will become even more difficult to discern whether the produce we eat are full of nutrients or full of free radicals- that is, until you purchase the product and cut it open.

And regardless, many consumers would like some degree of autonomy in what they choose to put into their bodies. Even if these products are safe, people should still be able to choose whether they would like to consume these products or avoid them.

Transparency, again, is key for consumers.

And speaking of which, Apeel’s website allows you to check for produce at stores in your area and whether they carry any produce that has an Apeel coating. Just scroll until you see the following image and check for yourself:

From what I’ve found, avocados from Target appear to use this technology, and likely is occurring at all Targets across the country. Interestingly, some supermarkets appear to carry organic apples that are coated in Apeel. This is interesting, as it appears that these monoglycerides need to be synthesized from fatty acids and glycerol.⁷

So it appears that there may be a bit of disingenuousness occurring, as it seems like the palmitic acid may be derived from grape seeds and then esterified to glycerol to form the listed monoglycerides above, so they are not naturally sourced from plants (but their precursors are). I’d be curious if this would run afoul with the “organic” label for organic produce treated with Apeel given the synthetic aspect.

So maybe a bit more is going in by way of manipulative marketing for these plant-based compounds.

In any case, hopefully the information here can provide some more context over Apeel. It’s a reminder about how important it is to do your own research rather than relying on being presented with information that rely on appeals to emotion. In the absence of knowledge it can become easy to fall for comments that may induce fear. Rather than succumbing to these fears, try to make an effort to learn more and make sense of the information you are shown. More knowledge is always better, and having more knowledge can help assuage us from narratives of fear.

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1. Murataeva, N., Dhopeshwarkar, A., Yin, D., Mitjavila, J., Bradshaw, H., Straiker, A., & Mackie, K. (2016). Where's my entourage? The curious case of 2-oleoylglycerol, 2-linolenoylglycerol, and 2-palmitoylglycerol. Pharmacological research, 110, 173–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2016.04.015

2. Ghide, M. K., & Yan, Y. (2021). 1,3-Dioleoyl-2-palmitoyl glycerol (OPO)-Enzymatic synthesis and use as an important supplement in infant formulas. Journal of food biochemistry, 45(7), e13799. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfbc.13799

3. Park, S.J., Kim, J.K., Kim, HH. et al. Integrative metabolomics reveals unique metabolic traits in Guillain-Barré Syndrome and its variants. Sci Rep 9, 1077 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-37572-w

4. Yan, R., Jiang, H., Gu, S., Feng, N., Zhang, N., Lv, L., & Liu, F. (2020). Fecal Metabolites Were Altered, Identified as Biomarkers and Correlated With Disease Activity in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a GC-MS-Based Metabolomics Study. Frontiers in immunology, 11, 2138. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.02138

5. Yoon, N., Jang, A. K., Seo, Y., & Jung, B. H. (2021). Metabolomics in Autoimmune Diseases: Focus on Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematous, and Multiple Sclerosis. Metabolites, 11(12), 812. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo11120812

6. Chen, X., Gu, X., Yang, J. et al. Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Technology: Application in the Study of Inflammatory Mechanism in COVID-19 Patients. Chromatographia 86, 175–183 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10337-022-04222-3

7. The FDA response remarks that esterification needs to occur in order to produce these monoglycerides, which may suggest that fatty acids are isolated from grape seeds and esterified with glycerol in order to produce the monoglycerides listed:

Apeel Sciences describes the manufacturing process for monoglycerides, beginning with conversion (protection) of the two primary alcohol groups on the glycerol backbone to non-reactive moieties. Free fatty acids are then esterified selectively to the secondary alcohol using an acid catalyst in the presence of a solvent to generate the modified monoglycerides. Solvent is removed by distillation, and the mixture is purified by removal of unreacted starting materials and residual catalyst using a liquid-liquid separation. Any non-reactive moieties protecting the primary alcohols on the glycerol backbone are then chemically cleaved (deprotection) using a metal catalyst with hydrogen in the presence of a solvent. Subsequent filtration removes the metal catalyst and the resultant filtrate is crystalized and dried under vacuum to form the final product (1- and 2-monoglycerides). Apeel Sciences states that all processing agents and starting materials used in the manufacture of monoglycerides are food-grade chemicals used in accordance with current good manufacturing practices. Apeel Sciences provides specifications for monoglyceride (≥ 91%) and diglyceride (≤ 7%) levels as well as limits for ethyl acetate (≤ 100 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg)), acetonitrile (≤ 5 mg/kg), toluene (≤ 5 mg/kg), hexane (≤ 25 mg/kg), and individual heavy metals (including Lead (≤ 1 mg/kg), Palladium (≤ 3 mg/kg) and Arsenic (≤ 0.2 mg/kg)), in the finished product.