Can you eat peach skin?

In this article, I will answer the question:  “Can you eat peach skin?” and I will provide information on potential health benefits and downsides.

Can you eat peach skin?

Yes, you can eat peach skin. Peach skin can be eaten safely. In fact, it has more fiber and antioxidants than pure peach flesh. As a result, eating a whole peach, including the peel, may deliver the most health advantages. Studies suggest that unutilized peaches could be further processed to recover valuable products including natural antioxidants. Major phenolic compounds found in the skin of peaches include caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, leucoanthocyanins, catechins and flavonols (1).

Peach skin, on the other hand, may have more pesticides than peach flesh. In order to decrease the amount of pesticides on your peach skin, wash it and peel it before eating it, and/or buy organic peaches at the supermarket. In fruits and fruit type vegetables, the concentration of pesticide residue is usually higher in the fruit stalk and near the epidermis – skin – than in the sarcocarp or pericarp – flesh (2).

It must be noted that people with IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) or other digestive problems must avoid eating fruits with peel.

What are the health benefits of peach skin?

The peel of a peach is absolutely full of vitamins and nutrients. It’s a great way to get:

• Fiber, which aids with weight loss and helps digestion. Fruits that are high in fiber aid in bowel regularity and have also been linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
• Vitamin A which is beneficial to your vision and immune system.
• Antioxidants that may help to lower the risk of some cancers.

Peach skins have more fiber and antioxidant chemicals than peeled peaches, thus a whole peach may provide more health advantages. Peach skin also contains carotenoids. The carotenoids have important functions to support health as well as showing pro-vitamin A activity, thus strengthening the immune system, reducing the risk of degenerative diseases and preventing cardiovascular disease (3).

What are the risks related to peach skin?

One disadvantage of eating peach peel is the possible presence of pesticides, which are chemicals used to prevent crop damage and increase harvests yields.

Pesticides are usually found in larger concentrations on the skins of chemically treated fruits and vegetables than on their flesh. Studies made on many fruits on the elimination of pesticide residues through processing showed that the washing, blanching, peeling and cooking stages were particularly effective. A combination of washing and blanching led to >50% reduction in pesticide residue levels in all samples except peaches. However, chemical peeling (anthem steam is used or blanching with hot water) removed 82.5–95% of the residues (2).

Pesticides are causing increasing worry regarding their health impacts. According to some studies, pesticide usage and exposure over time may lead to the development of certain diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease.

The effects of pesticides on people are expected to vary depending on the chemical and the amount of exposure.

If you’re concerned about pesticides in peach skin, wash them thoroughly with water before eating them, peel them before eating them, and/or choose peaches that have been certified organic by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Another disadvantage of eating peach skin is that it may induce digestive discomfort in people who have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or other digestive problems.

Irritable Bowel Disorder is a chronic gastrointestinal condition that fits the following description (4):

• Recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort at least 3 days per month in the last 3 months

• Symptom onset at least 6 months prior, associated with 2 or more of the following:

– Improvement with defecation; and/or

– Onset associated with a change in frequency of stool; and/or

– Onset associated with a change in form (appearance) of stool

How to wash a peach?

• Remove any remaining stalks and leaves from the peaches.
• Brush away any visible dirt or residue.
• Fill a bowl or a portion of your kitchen sink with water, then add a small bit of soap as the water fills up.
• Wash the peaches in the sink or in a dish, wiping the fruit’s surface to remove dirt and residue.
• Under cool running water, rinse the peaches.
• Use a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, gently dry the peaches, or place them on a clean towel to air dry.
• Fill a bowl halfway with chilly water and a few drops of white vinegar. The vinegar has enough acetic acid to kill most microorganisms.

In fruits and vegetables, most of the pesticide residues are retained on the peel surface. This is the reason that the majority of the residues are removed by washing, peeling or treatments with chemical solutions like vinegar, turmeric, sodium bicarbonate, common salt or alcohol (2).

How to use peach skin?

Peach skin can be used in a variety of applications such as:

1. Peach skin jam:

Peach peels can be used to make delicious and fresh peach jam when combined with sugar, water, and lemons. It’s fantastic for stuffing biscuits or topping bread.

The jam made from peach peels is textured and rustic. The peel gives the jam color and flavor.  Jam-making is also simplified, easier, and faster when the peels are left on the fruit. 

• First, you need to remove the pits and cut the unpeeled fruit into a few pieces before you can start making jam. 
• After chopping the peaches, fill an 8-10 quart baking pan halfway with peaches. Zest the lemon right into the pan with a Microplane. The lemon should then be sliced in half and juiced. Toss in the sugar.
• Over medium heat, combine the ingredients in a large saucepan. Increase the heat to medium-high as soon as the sugar has dissolved. As the peaches cook, they will soften.
• To avoid burning, stir the mixture constantly with a flat-bottomed spoon after it begins to boil. As the mixture boils, it will bubble up and expand, then shrink back down.
• Allow the mixture to boil as the foaming increases. Skim any residual foam from the surface with a metal spoon.
• As the combination cooks, the peaches will soften. After the mixture has cooked for at least 10 minutes, smash the peach pieces apart with a potato masher until you obtain the preferred consistency.

2. Peach peel syrup:

Sweet Peach Syrup is a great way to keep the summer flavor alive. This recipe is really simple to make, as it only calls for three ingredients to make a homemade fruit-based simple syrup (unpeeled peaches, sugar, water). The end result is delectable, and it’ll go great with sweets, brunch, or iced tea.

Peach Syrup can be used in a variety of ways. It’s so adaptable that you may use it for everything from breakfast to dessert to a special drink. Drizzle it over pancakes instead of maple syrup, on vanilla ice cream, or mix it into your favorite iced drink, like lemonade.

Preparation:

• Cut the peaches into 1/4-inch thick slices. Remove the pits.
• In a medium saucepan, bring peaches, sugar, and water to a boil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat, cover, and set aside to cool for 1-2 hours.
• Strain into a jar or container with a cover using a fine-mesh strainer or sieve. The color of your syrup will be mostly determined by the peach skin color.

Tip: You can purée part or all of the peaches with the syrup if you want a thicker syrup. Leave the peaches in the syrup or use them as a topping for pancakes or waffles.

Conclusion

In this article, I answered the question: “Can you eat peach skin?” and gave useful information about its health advantages as well as numerous suggestions for how to use it in a variety of meals.

Feel free to contact me for any further request on this topic.

References

1. Zhang, Yueyuan, Inyee Han, and Paul Dawson. Antioxidant activity assessment and color analysis of skin from different peach varieties grown in South Carolina. Food Nutr Sci, 2015, 6, 18.
2. Bajwa, Usha, and Kulwant Singh Sandhu. Effect of handling and processing on pesticide residues in food-a review. J food sci technol, 2014, 51, 201-220.
3. Vargas, Emanuela Flor de, et al. Waste from peach (Prunus persica) processing used for optimisation of carotenoids ethanolic extraction. Int J Food Sci Technol, 2017, 52, 757-762.
4. Sanjeevi, Arthi, and Donald F. Kirby. The role of food and dietary intervention in the irritable bowel syndrome. Pract Gastroenterol, 2008, 33.