A genetically modified apple grown in Canada that resists browning after it's been bitten into has been approved for sale in the United States by the federal government.

The genetically modified apple named "Arctic apple" and made by the Canadian firm Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. is expected to go on sale in the U.S. in 2017. Okanagan says some 70,000 of its trees could be planted in 2016.

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This landmark decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to approve the sale of the genetically modified Arctic apple is again expected to reignite the simmering and passionate debate over the safety of genetically modified food.

The USDA announced the approval Feb. 13. It said the apple was given the green light because it didn't pose a risk to other plants or agricultural products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is still reviewing the apple and is responsible for ensuring the apple is safe to eat. Its review is voluntary, however, and its approval isn't needed for Okanagan to sell its apples in the U.S.

What makes the Arctic apple different from all other apples is it resists "browning", or that visible change in color any apple undergoes when it's bitten into or cut open.

Okanagan said its "nonbrowning" Arctic apple "silences" the apple's polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and phenolics that turn the apple flesh brown. It said this enzymatic browning is the primary type of apple browning.

Enzymatic browning is caused by the apple's chemical reaction after cell injury, such as by biting, bruising or cutting the apple. Arctic apples don't undergo enzymatic browning.

A time-lapse video posted by Okanagan in 2013 shows the marked difference between its genetically modified nonbrowning Arctic apple and a regular golden delicious apple cut open and left unattended for 24 hours.

Okanagan said it plans to attach a snowflake logo to each Arctic apple to distinguish them from non-genetically modified varieties. The FDA could also require the company to disclose the Arctic apple has a non-browning trait or has been genetically modified.

Okanagan is awaiting approval for the Arctic apple in Canada and wants to get approval to grow its apple in Mexico.