**3. Apple fruits and their health benefits for humans**

Regular consumption of apples is inversely associated with breast cancer occurrence and affords some degree of protection against the development of the disease [8]. Wolfe et al. [9] investigated the effects of the apple peel, the whole fruit, and the flesh in inhibiting the growth of HepG2 human liver cancer cells in vitro by estimating the median effective concentration (EC50; expressed as concentration of apple component (mg mL<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> )) as an indicator of antiproliferative activity. Phytochemical extracts of the apple peels of each cultivar tested ("Rome Beauty,"

"Idared," "Cortland," and "Golden Delicious") inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells more effectively than extracts of the flesh or the whole fruit. The peels also had a lower EC50 than the flesh and the whole fruit components, representing higher antiproliferative activity. The inhibitory effects of the cancer cell proliferation varied widely depending on the apple cultivar, with "Rome Beauty" apple peels showing the greatest bioactivity.
