Pink Pineapple Pie #ScienceSundays

Have you seen the new Pinkglow™ pink pineapple? Learn how it came to be and then enjoy it in all its glory in this sweet and pretty pink pineapple pie!

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Awhile back I won a Del Monte Pinkglow™ pink pineapple from The Baking Fairy and I am finally sharing what I made with it! I have to admit, after seeing that they normally cost $49 ($20 for the petit) I felt some serious pressure on the decision of what to make. But first let’s talk about this stunner of a pineapple and the bioengineering that made it possible.

You guessed it, today is #ScienceSundays and I’m going to touch upon GMOs! There is far more information than I can cover here so I am going to primarily stick to these pineapples.

The reason for the sticker shock? These pineapples take about 2 years to grow, which results in very limited quantities [1]. Heck before that, it took them 16 years to create it [2]! A lot of time went into these babies. They are actually shipped without the tops because the top is how they propagate more (although some speculate it’s so consumers can’t propagate them themselves).

But let’s get back to this color, which is due to carotenoids, specifically lycopene. This is a natural pigment that gives some produce its red color (ex: tomatoes, watermelon) – in this case it makes this product pink [1,3]. And these pineapples have been bioengineered to turn off the enzyme that usually converts lycopene into beta carotene, which is what gives a common pineapple its yellow color. By turning off the enzyme, lycopene remains intact and instead of yellow they are pink [3]!

Before you scoff at this bioengineers food product, you should know that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Pinkglow™ pineapple, explaining that there are no safety or regulatory concerns because the new pineapple has simply been genetically engineered to produce lower levels of the enzymes already in conventional pineapple that convert the pink pigment lycopene to the yellow pigment beta carotene and thus is something we commonly and safely already consume [2,4]. 

In fact, it is the most powerful antioxidant that has been measured in food. While more studies need to be conducted, it has been implicated in playing a role in preventing cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration. Fruits and vegetables that are high in lycopene include asparagus, cooked tomatoes, guavas, mangos, papayas, pink grapefruits, persimmons, red cabbages, sweet red peppers, and watermelons [5,6,7]. (The cubed up pink pineapple actually looks like watermelon, or raw tuna.)

As for other “GMO” or “bioengineered” foods products, did you know that this process began in the 1980s? Most GMO plants are used to make ingredients that are used in other food products, such as cornstarch from GMO corn and  sugar from GMO sugar beets. Unfortunately, despite the length of time this process has been utilized, there is still a lot of confusion about this techniques. For more information on the science behind it and how it is regulated for safety please check the FDA’s website [8]. I also really love the infographics they provided HERE which are also available in Spanish [9].

Returning to the pink pineapple, what makes them special goes beyond appearances. It also has a delicious and unique taste, with notes of candy pineapple aromatics and is less sour than a traditional pineapple [1], in fact it is down right sweet and juicy. So other than eating it, wake did I decide featured it best? A PIE!

This pink pineapple pie can most certainly be made with a traditional yellow pineapple, but man if it isn’t a stunner when made with a pink one! 

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PINK PINEAPPLE PIE

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Yield: 12 servings Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cooking Time: 45 Minutes 45 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

PIE CRUST

• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup cold shortening, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup buttermilk* (or 1/2 cup cold milk + 1 tsp white vinegar)
• 1 egg for brushing insides and on top

FILLING

• 5 cups fresh pineapple, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp butter

Directions

1. Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and shortening and cut into the flour mixture with a knife or pastry cutter (or pulse in a food processor).
2. Add buttermilk, stirring (or pulsing) until a shaggy dough forms. Form two smooth flattened discs of dough, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes or overnight.
3. Make the pie: Preheat oven to 375°F.
4. In a large bowl stir together pineapple, sugars, salt, and lemon juice, and stir to combine. Add cornstarch and stir until combined.
5. Roll one dough out on a floured surface and fit to a 10-inch pie plate. To avoid a soggy crust, beat an egg and brush on crust before adding the filling. Cut butter into small pieces and put on top of the filling.
6. Roll out second dough disc and cut into 1-2 inch strips. Arrange strips in a lattice on top of your filling and lay over and under one another carefully, then trim and flute the edges. Brush a little of the beaten egg over the pie dough.
7. Cover edges with foil or a pie shield and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and cook another 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
8. Let cool to room temperature before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Notes

*Or 1/2 cup cold milk + 1 tsp white vinegar

Did you make this recipe? I want to see!
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REFERENCES:

1. https://www.pinkglowpineapple.com/
2. https://blog.thenibble.com/2020/11/02/food-fun-new-pinkglow-pineapple-from-fresh-del-monte/
3. https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Pinkglow_Pineapple_17105.php
4. https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-concludes-consultation-pink-flesh-pineapple
5. https://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrition/reduce_risk/foods/lycopene
6. https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/high-lycopene-foods.php
7. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lycopene#food-sources
8. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/understanding-new-plant-varieties
9. https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/gmo-crops-animal-food-and-beyond