Kumquat fruit nutrition

Kumquat fruit nutrition

• Delicious, sweet yet tangy, kumquat fruit (cumquat, as the fruit generally recognized in Europe) is a winter/spring seasonal citrus fruits. Botanically, they belong to the Rutaceae family, in the genus, Fortunella, and named so after the botanist Robert fortune, who brought them from China to Europe in the middle of the 19th century.
• Although kumquats taste just like that of other citrus category fruits, they are distinguished in a way that they can be eaten completely including the peel.
• Kumquats are a small sized evergreen tree native to South-Eastern parts of mountainous China. Today, they are grown for their delicious fruits and as an ornamental tree in many parts of the world, including USA. A mature kumquat tree bears several hundred olive-sized, brilliant orange color fruits in the winter. On the Interior, the fruit resembles miniaure juicy orange-like segments (arils), firmly adhereing to each other and with the peel. The pulp has 1-2 seeds placed centrally. The seeds are bitter in taste as in generally, spit out.
• There exist several cultivars of kumquat; however, only four of them grown widely for their fruits.
• Nagami kumquat (Fortunella margarita): The fruit is oval and is the most common variety grown inside USA. It features smooth, light yellow peel and has tart flavor.
• Marumi kumquat (Fortunella japonica): The fruit is round, and has distinctive sweet taste and pleasant flavor.
• Meiwa kumquat (Fortunella crassifolia): It is round in shape, and larger than other verities. It is popular in Japan by name ninpo or neiha kinkan.
• Hong Kong Wild (Fortunella hindsii): They are the smallest sized kumquats.

Health benefits of kumquat fruit

Kumquat has calorific value equivalent to that  of fresh fruits provide only 71 calories. Nonetheless, they are one of the incredible sources of health-benefiting phyto-nutrients such as dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and pigment anti-oxidants that contribute immensely to overall wellness.

• Kumquat is eaten along with its peel, a unique feature that differentiates it from other citrus family fruits. Its peel is rich in many essential oils, anti-oxidants, and fiber. 100 g whole kumquats provide 6.7 g or 17% of daily-recommended levels of fiber that is composed of tannins, pectin, hemi-cellulose, and other non-starch polysaccharides (NSP).
• Fresh kumquats are packed with numerous health benefiting poly-phenolic flavonoid anti-oxidants such as carotenes, lutein, zea-xanthin, tannins...etc. Kumquat peel composes many important essential oils, including limonene, pinene, a-bergamotene, caryophyllene, a-humulene, and a-muurolene. Together, these compounds impart special citrus aroma to the fruit.
• Further, fresh fruits contain adequate levels of some of the anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin A, C and E. Altogether, these phyto-chemical compounds in kumquat fruit help scavenge harmful oxygen derived free radicals from the body and thereby protect us from cancers, diabetes, degenerative diseases and infections.
• As in oranges, kumquats also very rich in vitamin C. 100 g fruit provides 47.9 or 73% of RDA (Recommended daily allowances). Vitamin-C is one of the powerful natural anti-oxidant which has many essential biological roles to play such as collagen synthesis and wound healing. This vitamin has anti-viral and anti-cancer activities, and helps prevent neuro-degenerative diseases, arthritis, diabetes...etc by removing oxidant free-radicals from the body. Furthermore, vitamin C felicitates iron absorption in the food.
• Kumquat has good levels of B-complex group of vitamins such as thiamin, niacin, pyridoxine, folates, and pantothenic acid. These vitamins function as co-factors for metabolism of carbohydrates, protein, and fats.
• In addition, kumquats are a modest source of minerals like calcium, copper, potassium, manganese, iron, selenium, and zinc. Calicum is the chief element required for bone and teeth formation. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells. Iron is required for red blood cell formation as well for cellular oxidation.

Selection and storage

• Kumquats can be available from November through June. 'Nagami' and the ‘Meiwa’ are the two most common varieties of kumquats grown inside the United States. Saint Joseph, Florida is nicknamed as kumquat capital of Florida since Nagami variety kumquats grown in much larger scale there.
• While buying, select kumquat fruit that is firm, smooth, brilliant orange color, with attached stem. Avoid unripe, green color fruits and those with surface cuts, bruise, or damage.
• Kumquat fruits possess very good keeping quality. They can be stored at room temperature for about 3-4 days, and inside the refrigerator for up to three weeks. Frozen kumquat puree can be stored for six months or more.

Preparation and serving tips

• Kumquats must be allowed to ripen fully on the tree before they picked. They can be enjoyed fresh, added in salads, or candied, and as a garnish.
• Wash fresh fruits in a bowl of cool water. Gently pat dry using soft cloth/tissue.
• Kumquats taste best if they gently rolled or squeezed before being eaten. This process unifies sweet ingredients in its thin rind with that of underlying tart flesh. Eat kumquats as you would  with the peel.

Here are some serving tips:

• Add fresh kumquat slices to fruit salads or fruit bowls.
• Kumquats can be attractive garnish on a platter.
• Kumquats make excellent marmalade, preserves and candied. This is because unlike other citrus fruits like Seville-orange, which has bitter tasting peel, kumquats rind is very sweet and, therefore, desirable.
• Additionally, pureed kumquats are much sought-after in the preparation of sauce, fruit-concentrates, jams, and jellies.
• They also can be used in the preparation of juice, cakes, pie, ice creams…etc.
• Ripe kumquat fruit is also used as marinade and as a garnish in poultry, lamb, and sea-food dishes.

Safety profile

• As in any other Rutaceae (citrus) category fruits, kumquat fruit too can be consumed safely by pregnant, nursing mothers and children.

Kiwi fruit nutrition

Kiwi fruit nutrition

• Kiwi fruit, also known as Chinese gooseberry, is one of the delicious fruits with full of promising health promoting phyto-chemicals, vitamins and minerals. This widely recognized, wonderfully unique fruit is native to eastern Chinese "Shaanxi" province. And for the same reason, this exotic fruit is recognized as the national fruit of China.
• Kiwifruit plant is a semitropical, deciduous, large woody vine belonging within the family of Actinidiaceae in the Genus, Actinidia. Scieintific name: Actinidia chinensis.
• The journey of this humble gooseberry from mainland China to Oceania, and thence to across the world is quite interesting! During early years of twentieth-century kiwifruit seeds were carried to New Zealand by missionaries where it has become naturalized. From New Zealand, the fruit spread all across the world, and now grown at a commercial scale in many European and as far as in California in North America.
• During each season which lasts from September until November, the kiwi vine bears numerous oval shaped, fuzzy, brown colored fruits. Each kiwi berry measures approximately a large size hen’s egg, and weighs up to 125 g. internally; its flesh is soft, juicy, emerald green with rows of tiny, black, edible seeds. 
• Apart from the common green kiwifruit variety, several other cultivars have been in practice. "Hardy kiwi fruit" (A.arguta) also known as baby kiwi, is much smaller than "Fuzzy kiwi fruit" (A. deliciosa). Its size is similar to that of a large with smooth, edible skin. Inside, "hardy kiwi fruit" resembles "fuzzy kiwi-fruit" in color, texture, but possess further intense flavor and sweetness. "Gold Kiwifruit," developed by hybrid technique by agricultural research department in New Zealand, has a smooth, sparse hairs, bronze skin, a pointed cap at one end and distinctive golden-yellow flesh with less tart and more tropical flavor than green-kiwifruit. Commercially, it commands a higher market value than common green kiwifruit.

Health benefits of Kiwi fruit 

• Kiwifruit is moderately good in calories, comparable to that of grapes. 100 g of kiwi berry holds 61 calories. Nonetheless, it has several health giving anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins and fiber.
• It is good source of soluble dietary fiber (3.8 g per 100 g of fruit OR 10% of RDA), which brand it as a good bulk laxative. The fiber content helps to protect the colon mucousa by decreasing exposure time to toxins as well as binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon.
• The fruit is an excellent source of antioxidant vitamin-C; providing about 154% of the DRI (daily-recommended intake). Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful free radicals.
• Kiwi fruit contains very good levels of vitamin-A, vitamin-E, vitamin-K and flavonoid anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene, lutein and xanthin. Vitamin K has a potential role in the bone mass buiding by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bone. It also has established role in Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in the brain. Total antioxidant strength measured in terms of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of kiwifruit (gold, raw) is 1210 µmol TE/100 g.
• Research studies suggest that certain chemical substances in kiwi-fruit functions as blood thinner function similar to aspirin; thus, it helps prevent clot formation inside the blood vessels and protect them from stroke and heart-attack risk.
• Kiwi-fruit seeds are an excellent source . Research studies show that consumption of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and help prevent the development of ADHD, autism, and other developmental disorders in children.
• Fresh kiwi fruit is a very rich source of heart-healthy electrolyte "potassium." 100 g contains 312 mg or 7% of daily-recommended levels of this electrolyte. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that help regulate heart rate and blood pressure by countering malefic effects of sodium.
• It also contains good amounts of minerals like manganese, iron and magnesium. Manganese is used in the body as a co-factor for the powerful antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Magnesium is an important bone-strengthening mineral like calcium.

Selection and storage

• Kiwifruit season begins by September and lasts until November. Though, they can be available throughout most of the year, they are at their best between August until December. Mature fruits should be harvested and handled carefully from the vine. Unripe berries feature hard, starchy, inedible and closely resemble that of fruit.
• In the stores, choose kiwi featuring intact skin, without any surface blemishes or cuts. Ripe-kiwis yield to gentle pressure when pressed with the thumb. Once ripen, they have a short shelf life and damage early if kept open at room temperature. For extended shelf-life, keep them inside the refrigerator set at appropriate humidity.

Preparation and serving methods

• Fresh, delicious, succulent kiwifruit can be eaten all alone. Wash under cold running water. Its peel is edible and nutritious. Once cut, the slices should be eaten soon as they become soggy if left open in the air.

Here are some serving tips:

• Kiwifruits are so delicious that they can be eaten as they are without any seasoning/additions. Enjoy their rich unique flavor.
• Serve sliced kiwi fruit and strawberries with yogurt, whose flavors naturally complementing with each other.
• Mixture of sliced kiwi-fruit together to make sauce, add it to marinate chicken breast and boil. The active compound, actinidin in kiwi fruit helps tenderizing meat products.
• The fruit is also employed in the preparation of New Zealand’s popular dessert, Pavloa
• It is also used in the preparation of muffins, cheesecake, party-cakes, pie, juice, and jellies.

Safety profile

• Allergic reactions to kiwifruit are rare. They can be safely consumed by pregnant mothers and children.

Jujube nutrition

Jujube nutrition 

• Jujube, also known as Chinese red date, is a popular "drupe" fruit of Chinese origin. "Zao" as the fruit recognized in the mainland China, it grows in natural wild and cultivated orchards in Korea, Japan, and many Middle Eastern regions. Dry jujube has similar taste and nutrition profile as that of packed with energy, minerals and essential vitamins.
• Botanically, it belongs to the Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn) family of flowering plants.
• Scientific name: Ziziphus jujuba.
• Jujube is a small to medium sized, spreading, deciduous tree reaching to a height of about 5-7 meters. Its highly branched twigs carry sharp spines. The plant is drought tolerant and has the ability to thrive well under poor soil conditions.
• Z. jujuba bears light green to white color flowers in early summer. Small size fruits cover the entire plant by July. Each fruit is "drupe" featuring creamy white flesh surrounding a single central hard .
• Jujube comes in several different sizes and shapes depending upon the cultivar type. Each berry is about the size of 3-6 cm in diameter ranging in shape from oval, oblate, round to elongated and cylindrical. Inside, its slightly sticky, crispy textured pulp has apple-like sweet and tart taste in case of raw, green fruits. As the berry dries on the tree, its color turns from light green to red or brown. Completely mature fruit develops wrinkles on its surface . Fruits can be harvested on the basis of consumer demand, whether to enjoy crunchy light green berries or dried red ones.

Health benefits of Jujube 

• Jujube, fresh or dried, has long been considered as a healthful fruits praised in Chinese culture. The berries packed with an impressive list of essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are required for normal growth, development and overall well-being.
• While fresh jujube pleniful in vitamins and fiber, dry, red ripe berries high in calories, rather concentrated sources of vitamins and minerals.
• They contain health benefiting tannins. Tannins are known to possess anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hemorrhagic (prevent easy bleeding tendencies) properties.
• Fresh jujube are one of the excellent sources of vitamin-C, composing about 69 mg per 100 grams or 115% of daily recommended intake. Vitamin-C is one of powerful water-soluble antioxidants that help stave-off harmful free-radicals from the human body. It helps in the synthesis of connective tissue and wound repair.
• Dried jujube fruits are excellent source of calcium (79 mg or 8% of RDI), iron 1.90 mg/100 g of fruits (about 24% of RDI). Iron, being a component of hemoglobin inside the red blood cells, determines the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Calcium is an important mineral that is an essential constituent of bone and teeth, and required by the body for muscle contraction, blood clotting, and nerve impulse conduction.
• Further, fresh as well as dry berries carry moderate levels of B-complex group of vitamins. Dried jujube contains very good amounts of pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), thiamin niacin, pantothenic acid, and riboflavin. These vitamins are acting as cofactors help body metabolize carbohydrates, protein, and fats.

Medicinal uses of Jujube

• Dry jujube fruits and its powder used in many traditional Chinese medicines to cure nervousness, stave off infections, and to improve digestive power.
• Selection and storage
• Fresh jujube berries begin arriving in the markets from July and lasts till November in the mainland China. Varieties of fresh or dried date-like berries can be available in the markets.
• After harvesting, jujube fruits should be graded according to the degree of ripening and fruit size. Drying can be done as in raisins, deydrating under the sun for about three weeks or in a drier machine at commercial processing units. Dried fruit can be consumed as such or further processed into juice, wine, powder and so on.
• Look for fresh, light-green, full, firm berries if you wish to buy apple-crunchy textured berries. Dry berries can be available in the packs.
• Raw, fresh berries last for 3-4 days at room temperatures, and for a couple of weeks inside refrigerator. Dried berries, however, can store well for several months.

Preparation and serving method

• Wash them in clean water and mop dry using a paper towel. Fresh as well as dried berries can be eaten out of hand without any seasonings and add on.

Here are some serving tips:

• Fresh berries can be eaten out of hand as in apples.
• Dry fruits can be used in a much similar way like dried  in cakes, tart, bread, muffins, etc.
• Jujube fruit tea is a welcome drink in Korean culture.
• In Korean peninsula, dried red jujube and ginseng tea (insam-daechucha) is a popular drink.
• Jujube rice cake (Daechu pyeun) is another favorite recipe of Koreans.
• Dry jujube employed to prepare jams, paste, puree in China. Jujube paste sweet pastry, mooncake, prepared during the mid-autumn festival in China.

Safety profile

• Jujube fruits fresh or dry can be consumed safely in children and pregnant mothers.

Jackfruit nutrition

Jackfruit nutrition

• Jackfruit is one of its own kind of tropical fruits, recognized for its unique shape, size, and fruity flavor of its bulbs that can be appreciated from a distance. The fruit is deliciously sweet in taste. In common with other tropical fruits . it is also rich in energy, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins and free from saturated fats or cholesterol, making it one of the healthy summer treats to relish!
• Botanically, this popular Asian tropical fruit belongs to the family of moraceae, genus: Artocarpus  Scientific name: Artocarpus heterophyllus.
• Jackfruit is a huge tree that grows to as high as 30 meters, larger than mango, breadfruit etc. It is believed to be indigenous to the Southwestern rain forests of India. Today, it is widely cultivated in the tropical regions of Indian subcontinent, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brazil for its fruit, seeds, and wood. The tree grows best under tropical humid and rainy climates but rarely survives cold and frosty conditions.
• In a season, each tree bears as many as 250 large fruits, supposed to be the largest tree-borne fruits in the world. The fruit varies widely in size, weigh from 3 to 30 kg, and has oblong or round shape measuring 10 cm to 60 cm in length, 25 to 75 cm in diameter. While unripe fruits are green, they turn light brown and spread a strong sweet, fruity smell once ripe.
• As in jackfruit outer surface too is covered with blunt thorn-like projections, which become soft as the fruit ripe. Its interior consists of eye-catching orange-yellow color edible bulbs. Each bulb consists of sweet flesh (sheath) that encloses a smooth, oval, ligh
• t-brown seed. There may be as many as 50 to 500 edible bulbs embedded in a single fruit interspersed in-between thin bands of fibers.
• Jackfruit seed is encased inside a thin, transparent outer cover. It largely compose of starch and protein. Each seed measures about 2 to 4 cm in length, and 1 to 3 cm in thickness.
• Almost all the parts of the tree secrete white sticky latex like milk (juice) upon infliction of injury.

Health benefits of jackfruit

100 g of edible jackfruit bulbs provide 95 calories. The fruit is made of soft, easily digestible flesh (bulbs) made up of simple sugars like fructose and sucrose that when eaten replenishes energy and revitalizes the body instantly.

• Jackfruit is rich in dietary fiber, which makes it a good bulk laxative. The fiber content helps protect the colon mucous membrane by binding to and eliminating cancer-causing chemicals from the colon.
• Fresh fruit has small but significant amounts of vitamin-A, and flavonoid pigments such as carotene-ß, xanthin, lutein and cryptoxanthin-ß. Together, these compounds play vital roles in antioxidant and vision functions. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining integrity of mucusa and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in vitamin-A, and carotenes has been found to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
• Jackfruit is a good source of antioxidant vitamin-C, provides about 13.7 mg or 23% of RDA. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful free radicals.
• It is one of the rare fruits that is rich in B-complex group of vitamins. It contains very good amounts of vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), niacin, riboflavin, and folic acid.
• Further, fresh fruit is a good source of potassium, magnesium, manganese, and iron. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.

Jackfruit seeds

• Jackfruit seeds are indeed very rich in digestible starch, protein and minerals. In general, the seeds are gathered from the ripe fruit during summer, sun-dried and stored for use in rainy season in many parts of South-Indian states. Again, in these areas, jackfruit seeds can be employed in variety of recipes where they generally are eaten either by roasting as a snack or added to stews (curries) in place of lentils.

Selection and storage

• Jackfruit is a summer season fruit
• In the stores, buy fruit that emits mild yet rich flavor and just yields to thumb pressure. Thorn-like projections becomes softer in case of the ripe fruit. Once ripen, the fruit deteriorates rather quickly unless its processed arils (bulbs) stored inside the refrigerator.

Preparation and serving method

• The fruit is cut in a similar fashion like other large size fruits . White, gummy latex oozes from the cut ends even in ripe fruit but to a lesser extent than in green unripe one. This latex problem can be overcome by applying little coconut oil on the hands while separating bulbs since protective gloves would not help. Another great way of dealing with latex problem is mopping or rubbing the cut sections with slice or gently drowning in a bowl of acidulated water. The thick rind that runs through the middle of the fruit is then removed, and the whole section
• Each edible bulb is made of thick orange-yellow flesh; cut open it with small knife or split the bulb with fingertips vertically. Inside each bulb, you find a thick light brown color seed; keep it aside and enjoy the delicious flesh (sheath).
• Here are some serving tips:
• Jackfruit bulbs have unique flavor and sweet taste. Enjoy them without any additions in order to experience their rich taste.
• Jackfruit slices hand-mixed with slices is one of the wonderfully delicious dessert preparations commonly served on festive occasions in southern parts of India.
• The fruit is also used in jam, jelly and chutney preparations.
• Fruit slices are a great addition to fruit salad.
• Jackfruit seeds are a good source of protein and minerals; used like vegetables and pulses in curry (sabzee) preparation in several Asian countries.
• Unripe green fruit is employed like vegetable in the preparation known as "kathal sabzee" in some North Indian states and "sayur nangka" in Indonesia.