Three new red-flesh apple varieties presented in Madrid

Three new red-flesh apple varieties are planned for market launch: this is the major innovation presented during Fruit Attraction in Madrid by IFORED, the project established to develop a range of red-flesh apples with superior taste and a unique appearance, capable of attracting consumers all over the world.

Founded in 2012, the IFORED project brings together 14 of the biggest apple producers from 5 continents. The varieties developed are the property of the French company IFO (International Fruit Obtention), which has a wide range of third- and fourth-generation red-flesh varieties, the outcome of more than 20 years of research.

After the project's launch, the varieties furthest ahead in their development were planted in pilot orchards by the IFORED partners, for commercial assessment. Three varieties have been chosen for the start of the market launch: one with yellow, one with orange and one with red skin.

Pre-commercial orchards were planted in Europe from spring 2016, with the first tests scheduled for autumn 2017, and commercial plantings from 2018. IFORED is developing a unique brand and marketing strategy to support sales of the range of new varieties worldwide.

“We're getting excellent results with natural breeding techniques: the varieties we're presenting today have great potential, thanks to their outstanding flavour and diversified skin colour," commented IFORED Chairman Bruno Essner. "As well as the three presented today, there are more cultivars already in the advanced test phase, so we can keep marketing exciting new apples to delight consumers in the future."
The IFORED partners will handle the production and marketing of the varieties developed on their respective markets. At present, total potential output of IFORED partners is 3 million tonnes on 55,000 hectares across 13 countries.

The new varieties
The new red-fleshed apple varieties from the IFO conventional breeding program that will be commercialized through IFORED project are:

R201. It has an intense red skin with prominent lenticels, a bright red flesh and a fully flavored taste with notes of berry. The harvest period is similar to Braeburn.
Y101. It has a very attractive orange skin with yellow lenticels and a pink-red flesh. The texture is firm and juicy, while the taste balances good sugar and acidity levels. The harvest period is at the end of Gala.
Y102. It is harvested after the Golden Delicious variety. Its skin is yellow with prominent lenticels, the flesh is pink. It has a very nice eating quality and good storage ability.