Pink Pineapples: Facts, Fictions, a Recipe
While pink pineapples have only been available to the consumer since late 2020, the path to getting this fruit to the U.S. marketplace really started in 2005 when Del Monte first started to research and develop the variety in Costa Rica. In 2011, the Costa Rican government approved the first plantings; in 2012, Del Monte submitted a request to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to test and import what was called the Rosé Pineapple from Costa Rica to the United States. The USDA did not approve the request until 2013. It took another three years for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine that pink pineapples are as safe and nutritious as yellow pineapples. This FDA involvement wasn’t required, though Del Monte felt it was politically necessary, so to speak, to assure consumers that this new GMO fruit was safe.
One of the biggest concerns about GMO fruit of any kind is its impact on the environment, i.e., that the fruit would spread on its own to regular pineapple crops. However, pineapples have a hard time growing without help from humans, so it’s unlikely they will spread on their own. Still, Del Monte regulates what is now marketed as Pinkglow® Pineapples without the tops, called crowns. The company replants the crowns to better control volume and to eliminate waste. Besides, this fruit is only grown in Costa Rica and only marketed in Costa Rica and the U.S. -- shipping the inedible crowns just makes no sense.
By changing a small enzyme that controls the color of the pineapple's interior fruit. An enzyme is a substance that creates a specific biochemical reaction. In this instance, typical yellow pineapples have high levels of enzymes that change the pink pigment, called lycopene, into a yellow pigment, called beta carotene. To make the pineapple pink, scientists reduced that enzyme, so the pineapple stays pink instead of turning yellow. Beta carotene might sound familiar. This yellow and orange pigment is also found in carrots and other colorful vegetables. Lycopene is the same pigment that turns tomatoes red and watermelons pink. The higher the concentration, the darker the color. Besides the deep pink color, the only real difference from yellow pineapples is an increased sweetness. This feature was not written to defend the science of genetically modified produce but rather to extoll the virtues of this sweeter version of the pineapple. However, if the reader has a strong objection to the technology, there should only be heirloom fresh produce in one’s fridge, most especially apples that are all modified to a certain extent. For instance, apple growers routinely change the profile of their crops by grafting. For instance, turning a slow-selling Red Delicious crop into the more popular Gala by grafting a branch from a Gala tree onto the trunk of a Red Delicious, which results in a Gala crop in half the time compared to planting from seed.
The Pinkglow® coloring lends itself to special occasions. Serve on festive occasions like baby showers, wedding receptions, Easter Brunch buffet tables or, for Cinco de Mayo, use the fruit to make this salsa. Then use it for the salsa ingredient called for in recipe now appearing in Low Carb Kitchen blog on this site!
Pink Pineapple Salsa
Serves 4 people
Ingredients
1½ Cups Pink Pineapple, diced
½ Cup Red Chile pepper, Fresno or the like, diced
¼ Cup White onion, diced
2 TBS Pasilla Pepper, finely diced
2 TBS Cilantro, finely diced
1 Melissa’s Lemon Juice Globe 3 oz
1-2 TBS Costa Azul Sriracha to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preparation
Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl – pineapple, peppers, onion, and cilantro
Add Sriracha, lime or lemon juice, mix thoroughly. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap until ready to serve. Can and should be made several hours ahead to allow flavors to meld. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.
