Pear vs. Apple — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Introduction

Apples and pears are members of the Rosaceae family, believed to have originated in Asia. Both fruits have white flesh and are covered with skin. They have cores containing seeds.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” says the famous English expression. Is it really true? And what about a pear? Doesn’t it keep the doctor away? In order to find out the answers, let’s conduct a comparative analysis of their nutrition features and health impact.

Nutrition

Before passing on to the next question, I would like to dwell on the nutritional content comparison, which is the key point for further discussion.

The food types used in this article are raw apples with skin and raw pears.

Minerals

pear contains more iron, calcium, magnesium, and especially copper and zinc. So the winner in this category is the pear.

As you can see from the comparison charts below, apples and pears are equal in potassium, phosphorus, and sodium. However, 

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Pear

7

Apple

0

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+40%
Contains more CalciumCalcium	+50%
Contains more IronIron	+50%
Contains more CopperCopper	+203.7%
Contains more ZincZinc	+150%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+37.1%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+∞%

~equal in Potassium ~107mg

~equal in Phosphorus ~11mg

~equal in Sodium ~1mg

Vitamins

What about vitamins? There is no drastic difference here either, but still, apple wins. It’s higher in vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B1, while pear is higher in vitamin B3 and vitamin K.

They are equal in vitamin C and vitamin B2.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Pear

4

Apple

5

Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+76.9%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K	+100%
Contains more FolateFolate	+133.3%
Contains more CholineCholine	+50%

Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+116%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+50%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+41.7%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+24.5%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+41.4%

~equal in Vitamin C ~4.6mg

~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

~equal in Vitamin B2 ~0.026mg

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Health Impact

Although there are fewer studies about the health benefits of pears and their components than about apples, we will run a little comparison of their health impact.

Historical Background

Pear originated in China in the foothills of the Tian Shan Mountains in approximately 5000B.C. The Chinese considered the pear as a symbol of immortality.

In ancient Greece, pears were used against nausea as a natural remedy. In the Odyssey, Greek poet Homer refers to pears as “a gift of gods.” The pear was sacred to several goddesses – Hera and Aphrodite in Greek mythology, Roma goddesses Juno and Venus, as well as Pomona - the Roman goddess of fruitfulness.

Pear leaves were smoked before tobacco became popular in Europe.

And what’s about apples? Apples originated in the Middle East more than 4000 years ago. Apples are mentioned in Arabian Nights. Homer also mentions apple trees in the Odyssey. The Norse gods connected their immortality to apples.

Apple is popularly known as the forbidden fruit of Eden. However, original Bible scriptures do not mention the forbidden fruit to be an apple.

Harvesting and Storing

The storage life of apples and pears depends on harvesting at the proper stage of maturity and correct storage.

Apples have several indicators of maturity. Mature apples are juicy, crisp, firm, well-colored, and have characteristic flavor. When harvested too early, apples are poorly flavored, sour, astringent, and starchy. On the other hand, fruits harvested too late are mushy and soft.

The fundamental determinant criteria for maximum storage life are temperature and relative humidity. At a temperature of about 32°F and relative humidity between 90 and 95%, apples could be stored for 3 to 5 months.

Pears, however, shouldn’t be left to ripen on trees as they become gritty and poorly favored due to the development of stone cells in the fruit. Pears should be harvested when their color changes from a deep green to a light green and should be ripened indoors at a temperature of 60 to 70°F. In order to store pears for approximately 1 to 3 months, it is necessary to preserve non-ripened fruit at a temperature of 30 to 32°F and relative humidity of 90%.

Furthermore, there is a specific method for more long-term storage of apples and pears called controlled atmosphere storage. The principle of this method is based on reducing the temperature to the lowest level possible without damaging the fruit by freezing, changing the atmosphere in a storage room by reducing the oxygen, and increasing the carbon dioxide. It helps to slow down the ripening and aging processes of the stored fruits.

References

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC442131/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3183591/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22400181
4. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/fo/c6fo01378c/unauth
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657810/