If the apple is a fruit that is popular with the French, it is also - unfortunately - the one on which we find the most pesticides... British researchers then decided to carry out several tests, in order to find the method that would effectively remove residues remaining on their skin… Result? The most effective way would be to soak them in a mixture of water and baking soda. In any case, this is the conclusion of the study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and food chemistry.
The researchers first bought organic Gala apples before spraying them with pesticides, regularly used to treat these fruits. They then washed the apples using three distinct techniques. The first, with a mixture of water and bleach, the second with simply tap water and finally, the third, with a mixture of water and baking soda (1%). Finally, they were all rinsed with clear water. It turned out that after two minutes of waiting, the last mixture, the one with baking soda, removed more pesticides than the other two methods.
But to really remove all the residues of chemical products, the author of the study advises to add a teaspoon of baking soda for 500 ml of water, and to let the fruits soak for at least 15 minutes… Thanks to this tip, no need to deprive yourself of the skin of these fruits, full of fiber and vitamins!
