From acidity to sugar levels, here's how white and yellow South Carolina peaches differ

All peaches are recognizable by their distinct color and fuzzy skin; they all have a pit in the middle. But when you bite a peach, you might notice that the inside color varies.

The flesh of the peach, or the mesocarp, is either yellow or white. The color of the peach makes a big difference in flavor and ways to use the fruit.

Peach color? What's the difference

Beth Black White owns the 101-year-old Black’s Peaches in York with her father and brother. She’s a fourth-generation peach farmer. She said white peaches have a more floral taste compared to the more traditional flavor of yellow peaches, which you might find in pies or cobblers.

While yellow and white peaches are similar, they share some differences in sweetness and acidity.

Yellow vs. white peaches

A 2023 study of 32 different types of white and yellow peaches found that yellow peaches are higher in carotenoids, a biomolecule that gives yellow peaches their bold color. Vitamin A comes from carotenoids, so yellow peaches tend to have more of it than white.

Yellow peaches are also more acidic. That’s why they are slightly more robust than white peaches – they’re less likely to bruise from a touch, White said.

“Because they’re more acidic, they hold up better. They have a better shelf life,” White said. “That’s why you see more people growing those.”

White also said yellow peaches tend to grow larger than white peaches.

The study also found that yellow peaches had higher sucrose levels than white peaches. Sucrose is the primary type of sugar found in peaches.

However, while they may have less sucrose, white peaches have lower acidity than yellow peaches, making them sweeter and more floral. They are also more fragile than their yellow counterparts.

Black's Peaches in York

Right now, Black’s Peaches has Georgia Belles ripening on the trees. White said it’s one of the oldest varieties of white peaches grown in the South.

“They’re very delicate,” White said. “If you touch them, tomorrow they’ll be bruised.”

White and her family have about 50 acres of peach trees. Of those, only about 15% are white peaches, she said. While they tend to sell more yellow peaches in their store, White said there are also dedicated white peach fans who will pick all the fruit in one day.

She said that people tend to pick white peaches when they’re firm.

“You eat it like a peach apple,” White said.

White peaches are less popular for baking because their flavor is less intense than yellow peaches and they don’t hold up as well in heat. Regarding preserving peaches, experts recommend canning yellow peaches, but freezing white ones.

Peaches contribute to SC economy

But whether they’re white or yellow, peaches still contribute millions of dollars to South Carolina’s economy.

The South Carolina Peach Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, educating and researching ways to improve the state’s peach industry. According to the Peach Council, the peach industry in South Carolina provides more than 1,000 jobs.

Executive Director Blakely Atkinson said promoting the peach industry is important because people automatically think of Georgia when they hear peaches. But the growers at Titan Farms in Ridge Spring produce more peaches than the entire state of Georgia, Atkinson said.

“We try to get our name out there and let people know that we actually have it going on,” Atkinson said. “We have a lot to offer by the way of taste, quality and also the amount that we have here as well. Everybody loves to eat local.”

Sarah Swetlik covers climate change and environmental issues in South Carolina's Upstate for The Greenville News. Reach her at [email protected] or on X at @sarahgswetlik.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What's in a SC peach? Here's how yellow and white peaches differ