Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Whole Fruits vs. 100% Fruit Juice: Key Nutritional Differences

Both 100% fruit juice and whole fruits are valuable sources of essential vitamins and nutrients, yet they have notable differences:

Fiber Content:

  • Whole Fruits: Abundant in dietary fiber, whole fruits aid in digestion and promote a sense of fullness.
  • 100% Fruit Juice: Contains minimal fiber because the pulp is removed during the juicing process.

Sugar Concentration:

  • Whole Fruits: Natural sugars are evenly distributed, balanced by fiber and water.
  • 100% Fruit Juice: Concentrates the sugar, which can lead to quicker spikes in blood sugar levels.

Vitamins and Minerals:

  • Both: Provide key nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants.
  • Whole Fruits: Preserve more nutrients due to their unprocessed nature.
  • 100% Fruit Juice: Contains similar vitamins but lacks the benefits of fiber.

Satiety:

  • Whole Fruits: Offer greater satiety thanks to their fiber content and bulk.
  • 100% Fruit Juice: May leave you feeling less full, potentially leading to increased hunger.
In conclusion, while 100% fruit juice delivers essential vitamins and minerals, whole fruits offer additional fiber and a more balanced nutritional profile. Incorporating both in moderation is ideal for a healthy diet.
Whole Fruits vs. 100% Fruit Juice: Key Nutritional Differences

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Black Mulberry: Nutritional Powerhouse and Medicinal Marvel

Black mulberry (Morus nigra) is a versatile plant found worldwide, renowned for its rich nutritional profile and medicinal properties. The ripe berries, twigs, and root bark of this plant are utilized in various medicinal applications, with the ripe berries also being consumed as a delicious fruit.

Black mulberries are particularly noted for their low caloric content, with just 43 calories per 100 grams. Despite being low in calories, they are packed with health-enhancing phytonutrients, including polyphenol pigment antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, lipids, protein, dietary fiber, and high water content. These components make them an excellent choice for health-conscious individuals. The fruit is a rich source of vitamins K and C and contains small amounts of vitamins A and E, essential for maintaining overall health.

One of the key health benefits of black mulberries lies in their high pectin content, which may act as a natural laxative. Additionally, the chemicals found in the fruit and twigs of the black mulberry have demonstrated potential blood sugar-lowering effects, making them beneficial for individuals managing diabetes. Research has identified 55 bioactive polyphenols in black mulberries, including anthocyanins such as procyanidins, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, and pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside, as well as flavonols, flavanones, and phenolic acids like gallic acid and ellagic acid. These compounds are known for their potent antioxidant properties, which can help combat oxidative stress and inflammation.

Moreover, black mulberries are rich in flavonoids, polysaccharides, and ascorbic acid, which contribute to their multiple biological activities. They possess hepatoprotective properties, helping to protect the liver from damage, hypo-lipidemic effects that aid in lowering lipid levels in the blood, and anti-apoptotic properties that prevent cell death.

The high sugar content of black mulberries makes them a popular ingredient in the food and beverage industry. They are used in various products, including marmalade, fondant jams, jellies, cakes, breads, parathas, fruit teas, fruit drink pulp, fruit wine, fruit sauce, fruit powder, and chocolate. Additionally, these fruits are utilized in dried, frozen, or fresh forms to produce syrups, amaretto or vermouth wine, tonic wine, and vinegar, showcasing their versatility.

In summary, black mulberries are a nutrient-dense fruit with numerous health benefits and applications in the food industry. Their rich composition of vitamins, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds underscores their value as both a dietary and medicinal resource.
Black Mulberry: Nutritional Powerhouse and Medicinal Marvel

Friday, April 12, 2024

Fruits and Vegetables: Protecting Your Eyesight with Nutrition

Eating a diet abundant in fruits and vegetables not only supports overall health but also plays a crucial role in maintaining optimal vision. While the popular notion of carrots improving night vision is well-known, there's more to the story.

Beyond carrots, numerous fruits and vegetables contribute to eye health by mitigating the risk of common age-related eye diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration, prevalent among older adults in the United States.

Cataracts, characterized by the gradual clouding of the eye's lens, impede vision by obstructing light passage onto the retina. Similarly, macular degeneration, marked by damage to the macula—the retina's central portion—initially manifests as a blurred central spot in one's field of vision, progressively shrinking vision over time.

The damage leading to these conditions is often caused by free radicals, which originate from various sources including sunlight, smoke, pollution, infections, and metabolic processes.

However, certain fruits and vegetables, particularly dark green leafy varieties, offer protection through their rich content of lutein and zeaxanthin—pigments known to accumulate in the eye and neutralize free radicals before they harm sensitive ocular tissues.

Recent studies further reinforce the importance of a diet abundant in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in reducing the likelihood of developing cataracts or macular degeneration, highlighting the significant role nutrition plays in preserving lifelong visual health.
Fruits and Vegetables: Protecting Your Eyesight with Nutrition

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Fruit of quince

The quince tree is native to a wide area that includes Caucasus, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Nowadays, there are still wild quince plants in Dagestan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenia and Iran.

Quince, Cydonia oblonga Mill. is one of the most important pome fruit species in the Rosaceae family. The genus Cydoniais monospecific and includes only a single species.

During ancient times, quince spread from its centre of origin to the east, to the region of the Himalaya Mountains, and has been cultivated for thousands of years in central Asia and in the Middle East. It was also grown on the islands of ancient Greece.

The ancient Biblical name for quince translates as “Golden Apple” and cultivation of Cydonia predates cultivation of Malus (apple) in the region once known as Mesopotamia, now Iraq.

Leaves are ovate to oblong, about 5 cm across and 10 cm long. Quince has hermaphroditic flowers. The solitary white flowers are 4–5 cm across, have 5 petals, 20 or more stamens, 5 styles, and an inferior ovary with many ovules Stamens are composed of a large number of filaments (15–20) and light-yellow anthers, which are arranged in three circular rows.

The fruit pulp varies in colour, density, juiciness, flavour, presence of granulation (stony cells) and taste. Most varieties are too hard, astringent and sour to eat raw unless 'bletted' (softened by frost and subsequent decay). Some cultivars have little or no astringency and the fruit can be eaten fresh.

This sweet, fragrant, jellylike confection is cut into slices and often served with a heady cheese. Quince is also served poached in either water or wine, and when so prepared develops a rich aroma and deep caramel-red color. In Armenia, quince is used in many savory as well as sweet dishes, and is often cooked with lamb. Quince fruit is also used by some home brewers to make very fine hard ciders.

Quince fruit is a valuable dietary product. The fruit contains good amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), pectins (fibers) and minerals and low in calories, carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. The fruit—always cooked—was an important source of pectin for food preservation, and a fragrant addition to jams, juices, pies, and candies.
Fruit of quince

Thursday, May 03, 2018

Nutritional composition of cranberries

Nutritionally, cranberries have long been recognized as rich sources of ascorbic acid, vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, dietary fiber, and the essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and potassium.

Cranberries also contain a unique blend of organic acids. Citric and malic acids predominate, followed by quinone (approx. 1.0%) and benzoic acid (approx. 0.01%), typical for a large variety of fruits.

Raw cranberries are fairly low in calories (46 kcal per 100 g) and carbohydrate (11%). Monosaccharides comprise from 2.2% to 6.0% of the small cranberry and from 3.4 to 7.1 of the large cranberry and are dominated by glucose and fructose, with glucose amounting to 58.9 – 65.9%.

The small cranberry usually contains only 0.01% - 0.5% sucrose, whereas the large cranberry accumulates significantly larger amounts (3.9-5.3%) of sucrose.

Cranberries contain ascorbic acid. The small cranberries accumulate and average of between 15.3% an 30% ascorbic acid. They are a good source of fiber and bioflavonoids, and a fair source of potassium. A serving of fresh cranberries is a good source of antioxidant polyphenols; and contains 1 mg of sodium.
Nutritional composition of cranberries

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Fruits Beverage


Fruit always played an important role in human nutrition. However, before the 20th century, drinking squeezed fruit juice was the privilege of a few.

Welch was the first to reserve grape juice with heat treatment in America in 1869, followed by Muller-Thurgan in Switzerland in 1896.

Thus began the production of preserved fruit juices, which was followed by a huge development in the 20th century.

The role of vitamins and minerals in the human body was discovered at that time, which triggered substantial changes in eating habits.

Consequently, fruit consumption has become an everyday need.

Due to the revolutionary development of technical equipment, the appearance of chemicals and biological substances (enzymes, clarifying and flavoring agents), and the applications of new technological procedures, especially the aseptic technique – which enabled the production of fruit juices without preservatives – of fruit juice production became widespread.
Fruits Beverage

Tuesday, June 07, 2016

Nutritional characteristics of grapefruit

Grapefruit is low in calories which make it great for dieting. Practically all grapefruit in the United States is grown in Florida, California, Arizona, and Texas.

Basic Nutritional Facts:
• Grapefruit is a low-calorie food
• an excellent source of vitamin C
• a good source of inositol• a member of the vitamin B complex
• It is a common breakfast fruit, salad fruit, or juice fruit.

The grapefruit is known for its sour to semi-sour flavor, It contains grapefruit mercaptan, a sulphur, which in turn contain sterpene, influencing its flavor.

The major bioactive groups in grapefruit include flavonoids, carotenoids, limonoids, furanocoumarins, and organic acids.

White grapefruit has been reported to be slightly richer in flavonoids than pink and red ones. Pink grapefruit is rich in vitamin A, and acts as a natural antioxidant. Grapefruit is an excellent cleanser for the digestive and urinary systems and the peel has many therapeutic properties.
Nutritional characteristics of grapefruit 

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

Quality attributes of fruits

Quality of food refers to the composite characteristics which differentiate individual units and enable determination of the degree of acceptability by the consumer.

Quality is fitness for use and to consume. Quality of fruit is to meet the expectations of the consumer.

The overall quality may be broken down into component characteristics such a color, texture, flavor, nutritional value freedom from harmful microorganism and undesirable substances.

Fruit quality is strongly affected by temperature. Temperature directly influences metabolism and indirectly, cellular structure and other components that determine fruit quality such as color, texture, size and organoleptic properties.

The color of the fruit is critical for initial consumer acceptability but is quickly replaced by sweetness and a firm texture upon consumption.

However, there is increasing appreciation that quality of fruits means more than just taste, texture, and appearance.

Nutritional properties of fruit such as vitamins, minerals and perceived health benefits (e.g. antioxidants) are becoming factors in consumer preference.

Fruit quality means different things to different people: for grower, achieving high yield and large fruit: for transporter, long storage potential and continuity of supply.

For consumer, they consider good quality fruits to be those that look good, are firm and offer good flavor and nutritive value.

Consumer acceptability tends to be based on appearance and sensory properties associated with texture and flavor rather than on laboratory measurements such as titratable acidity, dry matter and firmness.
Quality attributes of fruits 

Friday, August 28, 2015

Nutrition fact of the starfruit

Starfruit is the native Asia. It is also known as carambola – is low in calories and high in vitamin C. This pale-green fruit is shaped like a football, with deeply scored ridges. When slices cross wise, the fruit resembles a five pointed star.

It flavor is a cross between plum, pineapple and lemon.

It’s also a great source of polyphenols, antioxidants that fight cardiovascular inflammation.

Starfruit composition per 100g:
Water: 91.4 g
Calorie: 31 kcal
Protein: 1 g
Fat: 0.3 g
Carbohydrate: 6.7 g
Fiber: 2.8 g
Ash: 0.5 g
Calcium: 3 mg
Fe: 0.1 mg
Mg: 10 mg
P: 12 mg
K: 133 mg
Na: 2 mg
Zn: 0.1 mg
Cu: 0.1 mg
Se: 0.6 ug

Starfruit contain more antioxidants than avocados and pineapples. And antioxidants are a great weapon against age-related illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Nutrition fact of the starfruit

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Nutrition of sweet cherry

There are over 500 varieties of the cherries, but only 15 are important commercially. Sweet cherries were once known as ‘bird cherries’ as their name (avium) indicate.

Sweet cherry’s water soluble dry matter content is between 10-20%. A significant proportion of the water-soluble dry matter comes from soluble carbohydrates, mono-and disaccharides (glucose, fructose and sucrose), which are main contributors to the energy content.

Fresh cherries are 80 to 84% water, Fresh cherries contains 70 calories (kcal) per 100 g. When cherries are canned in a syrup, the calories of the fruit per serving increase.

Sour cherries contain vitamin A and C, copper and manganese and sweet cherries have the same nutrition, with a little less vitamin A. Sweet cherries possess 110 IU of
vitamin A.

Two third total carbohydrates in sweet cherry is fructose (4.2 g/100 g) and this is significantly higher than glucose (2.2 g/100 g).

Sweet cherry also contains sugar alcohol, sorbitol (.76 g/100 g) which has a laxative effect.
Nutrition of sweet cherry

Monday, June 03, 2013

Nutrition of sapodilla fruit

This fruit is consumed raw or cooked. It can be incorporated into fruit salads or eaten on its own.

Because the high tannin and latex contents of unripe fruits make them astringent and unpalatable, sapodillas should be eaten only when ripe.

The sapodilla is very high in fiber and is a good source of potassium. It contains vitamin C, sodium and iron. The pulp is very soft when the fruit is ripe and is easy to digest.

It contains glucose, sacchrose, pectin, starch and calories. Chemical analyses of sapodilla have confirmed the presence of several pharmacologically active compounds in sapodilla by products, including saponins and sapotonins. 

The fruit also contains anthocyanins and a number of phenolic compounds including tannins.

Anthocyanins and tannins are antioxidants compounds that play a protective role in living things of neutralizing free radicals that are produced during the process of oxidation. Sapodilla has an energy value of 76kcal/100g.
Nutrition of sapodilla fruit

Friday, April 26, 2013

Nutrition of Clementine oranges

Clementine is a hybrid of tangerine and bitter orange, sometimes regarded as variety of tangerine. Clementine is a rich source of essential nutrients.

The health benefits associated with consumption include fulfillment of vitamin C requirement. Its vitamin C content is quite high about 54 mg/100 g.

Clementine also contain the most pro-vitamin A activity, with activity ranging between 900 and 1000 retinol equivalent.

The bioactive molecules present in this fruit are limonoids, polymethoxy flavones and flavones glycosylates. 

Mineral content of Clementine are as follows: calcium 30 mg/100g, Magnesium 10 mg/100 g, Phosphorus 21 mg/100 g m and Potassium 177 mg/100 g.
Nutrition of Clementine oranges

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Date palms fruit

The unique characteristic of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) can be truly called a tree of life and is considered one of the most ancient plant cultivated in Mesopotamia some 4,000 years ago.

Dates are the fruit of the date palm and tastes sweet. Dates are dark brown , oval, and about 1-1/2 inches long. Its skin wrinkled and coated with a sticky, waxy film.

Date palms fruits are eaten as raw dates, dry dates and soft dates. Dates are highly nutritious and delicious. Date fruits are rich spruce of sweeteners, glucose and fructose.

Date syrup studies shows that it is mainly composed of reduced sugar: glucose and fructose as major source of sugar fraction. The fully ripe fruits contain 75-80% sugars.

As ripening progresses, then sucrose is hydrolyzed into ‘invert’ or ‘reducing’ sugars, a mixture of glucose and fructose, depending upon variety, cultural practices and other factors.

Soft and semi dry dates are primarily of the reducing sugar type (giving higher levels of sucrose hydrolyzed), while dry dates are mostly of the sucrose type.

Dates also good sources of iron, potassium calcium, magnesium, sulphur, copper and phosphorus, along with various vitamins, including thiamine, riboflavin, biotin, folic and ascorbic acid. The date palm fruit possesses antioxidant and antimutagenic properties in vitro.

Dates also contain tannins that are made mainly of polyphenols and two groups of them (phenolic acids and condensed tannins) are thought to be important on producing the astringent sensory response.

The tannin responsible for astringency of dates and their content decreased a maturity progressed.
Date palms fruit

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Health benefits of banana

This low-fat, high potassium fruit is perfect for busy people, and it even comes prewrapped.

It’s a diarrhea sufferer’s ally, a soothing substance that may stop what you most want stopped and help replace what you’ve lost.

It helps to replace electrolytes, the very tiny electrical charges needed to power the body and maintain fluid balance. It’s a helping hand against high blood pressure that may help keep your numbers low.

It’s a tropical fruit, a large berry, that’s handy and healthy, providing 452 milligrams of potassium, 33 milligrams of magnesium, and just over 2 grams of fiber.

Studies have shown that people with high levels of potassium in their diet have a lower incidence of hypertension, even if they don’t watch their salt intake.

Bananas also excellent for replacing potassium lost in sweat.

The pulp of ripe banana consists essentially of sugar and is therefore easily digestible. The fruit is composed of approximately 70% water, 27% carbohydrate, 0.3% fat, and 1.22% protein.

The banana shares many benefits of its fruity brethren: It’s low in calories, fat, sodium, and much of its fiber is soluble — the kind that can help lower cholesterol.

It stands out, however, because it has lots of potassium and a respectable amount of magnesium.

That’s why it’s a favorite fruit of most athletes and often is recommended for people with diarrhea or high blood pressure. Actually banana is popular carbohydrates snack among endurance athletes.

Twelve vitamins are found in the fruit, which is considered a good source of the vitamins A, B1, B2, and C. Bananas are also a very good source of vitamin B6, providing one-third of the RDA in a single serving.
Health benefits of banana

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Blueberries: Health and Nutrition

Blueberries: Health and Nutrition
The American Indians valued will berries and called them “star berries” because their calyx form a five points star at the blossom of each berry.

Indian legends hold that the “Great Spirit” sent “starberries” to ward off hunger and disease during a great famine.

Researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Center report that blueberries rank among the highest in antioxidant activity when compared to 40 other fresh fruits and vegetables.

Anthocyanin, the pigment that makes blueberries blue, is believed to play a major role in this antioxidant activity.

Blueberries contain a number of antioxidants. Chief among these includes:
  • Beta Carotene
  • Vitamins A and E
  • Anthocyanins
  • Ellagic acid
  • Phenolic compounds
  • Resveratrol

Pterostilbene, an antioxidant found primarily in blueberry, appear to set up the activity of cells in the liver that reduce the production of cholesterol and other artery-clogging fats.

Owing to their high antioxidant activity, blueberries are reported to:

  • Slow age related loss in mental capacity
  • Have a beneficial effect in memory behavioral learning and memory
  • Improve eyesight and memory in the elderly
  • Reduce the build up of LDL cholesterol and help prevent cardiovascular disease an stroke
  • Reduce risk of certain types of cancer
  • Promote urinary tract health by preventing bacteria for adhering to the cells that line the walls of the urinary tract much in the same way as cranberries

Blueberries are available year around, but the best time to buy them is during the summer months. In order to become a regular part of the diet, it has to taste good. They don’t require much preparation; just rinse them and enjoy. It can be eaten plain or sprinkle a half cup of blueberries on the morning cereal.
Blueberries: Health and Nutrition

Monday, January 25, 2010

Nutritional Value of Blueberry

Nutritional Value of Blueberry
Some noteworthy regarding the nutrient compositions of the more commonly available blueberry products as follow:
  • The raw fruit and the unsweetened frozen fruit supply moderate amounts of calories (about 60 kcal per 100 g) and carbohydrates (14 to 15%). They are good sources of fiber, iron and bioflavonoid (vitamin like substance with reputed beneficial effects when consumed along with vitamin C), and fair to good sources of potassium and vitamin C.
  • Sweetened frozen blueberries contain nearly double the levels of calories and carbohydrates presents on the raw and the unsweetened frozen berries.
  • Canned blueberries packed in water are low in calories and carbohydrates because they contain only about two thirds the levels of the nutrients that are supplied by the raw fruit.
  • Canned blueberries packed in heavy syrup contain about two and one half times the calories and carbohydrates that are present in canned berries packed in water alone.
  • Blueberry pie is rich in calories (242 kcal per 100 g) and carbohydrates (35%). It is a fair source of potassium and iron.
  • Blueberry turnovers are very rich in calories (405 kcal per 100 g), carbohydrates (41 %) and fats (25 %). They are good sources of iron, but a poor source of potassium and vitamin C.
  • Apple blueberry fruit puree (commonly sold as a baby food) supplies moderate amount of calories (68 kcal per 100 g) and carbohydrates (16%). It is a good source of vitamin C and a fair course of potassium.
  • The color blueberries is due mainly to anthocynin pigments, which are also classified as bioflavonoid.

Nutritional Value of Blueberry

Monday, May 04, 2009

Nutritional value of Banana

Nutritional value of Banana
Healthy, filling and even already wrapped for the consumer, bananas are one of nature’s ideal foods and the world’s most popular fruit.

They are undoubtedly an extremely healthy food, and the healthy conscious late 1990s is a highly appropriate point at which to begin a study of the expanding international banana trade.

Bananas contain nearly all the essential vitamins – in particular vitamins C, B6 (pyridoxine), B2 (riboflavin) and folate – as well as magnesium and potassium.

Potassium is a vital mineral for muscle development and also helps to regulate blood pressure.

These advantages are demonstrated strongly in comparison with other fruits but, equally importantly, bananas also have discernible health and nutrition advantages by comparison with other snack foods, notably chocolate bars.

No other fruit is so readily or so widely eaten as a snack in developed countries. Bananas also rarely cause allergic reactions, apart from migraine headache and indigestion in a few adults, and are a popular first solid food for babies.

They are also useful for treating childhood stomach upsets, although there is as yet no firm evidence to support the theory that bananas may help cell and mucus production in the stomach lining, thereby healing ulcers and preventing new ones.

Aside from these general properties, the banana industry has been assiduous in promoting the use of the fruit for specific dietary needs, most notably by sportspeople such as tennis player and racing cyclists, who have an increased need for vitamins and minerals as well as for carbohydrates without associated fats.

Bananas also contain a high level of natural sugar, in both their fresh and dried form, which they release quickly into the blood stream.

The banana industry has also pointed out that the unique combination of vitamins and sugars within bananas releases energy into the body over a long time, improving stamina and the powers of endurance and concentration.
Nutritional value of Banana

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Contribution of Fruits to Human Nutrition

Contribution of Fruits to Human Nutrition
Fruits are not only colorful and flavorful components of our diet, but they also serve as a source of energy, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

The U.S department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines encourage consumers to enjoy “five a day,” eat at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables each day and to choose fresh, frozen, dried or canned forms of a variety of colors and kinds of fruits and vegetables.

In some countries, consumers are encouraged to eat up to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

ENERGY (Calories)
  • Carbohydrates: banana, breadfruit, jackfruit, plantain, dates, prunes, raisin
  • Proteins and amino acids: nuts, dried apricot, fig
  • Fats: avocado, olive, nuts

VITAMINS
Fresh fruits and vegetables contribute about 91% of vitamin C, 48% of vitamin A, 27% of vitamin B6, 17% if thiamin and 15% of niacin to the U.S diet.
  • Vitamin A: apricot, peach, cherry, orange, mango, papaya, persimmon, pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon
  • Vitamin C: strawberry, orange, grapefruit, kiwifruit, pineapple, banana apple, cantaloupe
  • Niacin: peach, banana, orange, apricot
  • Riboflavin: banana, [peach, orange, apple, avocado
  • Thiamin: orange, banana, grapefruit, apple

MINERALS
Fresh fruits and vegetables contribute about 26% of the magnesium and 19% of the iron to the U.S diet
The following fruits are important contributors to the supply of indicated minerals in the U.S diet
  • Potassium: banana, peach, orange, apple, dried fruits such as apricot and prune
  • Phosphorus: banana, orange, peach, fig, raisin
  • Calcium: tangerine, grapefruit, orange
  • Iron: strawberry, banana, apple, orange

DIETARY FIBER
  • All fruits and nits contribute to dietary fiber. Dietary fiber consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and pectic substances, which are derived primarily form fruit cell walls and skin.
  • The dietary fiber content of fruits ranges form 0.5 to 1.5% (fresh weight)
  • Dietary fiber plays an important role in relieving constipation by increasing water holding capacity of feces. Its consumption is also linked to decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease, diverticulosis, and colon cancer.

ANTIOXIDANTS
Fruits, nuts, and vegetables in the daily diet have been strongly associated with reduced risk for some forms of cancer, heart disease, stroke and other chronic disease. This is attributed, in part, to their content of antioxidant phytochemicals.
  • Red, blue, and purple fruits (such as apple, blackberry, blueberry, blood orange, cranberry, grape, nectarine, peach, plum, prune, pomegranate, raspberry, and strawberry) are good sources of flavonoids and other phenolic compounds that are positively correlated with antioxidant capacity of the fruit.
  • Orange-flesh fruits (such as apricot, cantaloupe, mango, nectarine, orange, papaya, peach, persimmon and pineapple) and some red flesh fruits (such as tomato, watermelon and pink grapefruit) are good sources of carotenoids. Availability of lycopene to human is increased during tomato processing.
Contribution of Fruits to Human Nutrition

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