Passiflora edulis

Passiflora edulis is a vine species of passion flower that is native to Paraguay, Brazil and northeastern Argentina (Corrientes and Misiones provinces). Common names include Passion Fruit, Maracujá/Maracuyá (South America), and Lilikoʻi (Hawaiian). It is cultivated commercially in frost-free areas for its fruit and is widely grown in India, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Peru, California, Florida, Haiti, Hawaii, Australia, East Africa, Israel and South Africa. The passion fruit is round to oval, yellow or dark purple at maturity, with a soft to firm, juicy interior filled with numerous seeds. The fruit can be grown to eat or for its juice, which is often added to other fruit juices to enhance the aroma.[citation needed] The fruit shown are mature for juicing and culinary use. For eating right out of the fruit, allow the fruit to wrinkle for a few days to raise the sugar levels and enhance the flavor.

The two types of passion fruit have clearly differing exterior appearances. The bright yellow variety of passion fruit, which is also known as the Golden Passion Fruit, can grow up to the size of a grapefruit, has a smooth, glossy, light and airy rind, and has been used as a rootstock for the Purple Passion Fruit in Australia. The dark purple passion fruit is smaller than a lemon.

The purple varieties of the fruit have been found to contain traces of cyanogenic glycosides in the skin.

These forms of Passiflora edulis have been found to be different species.[dubious – discuss] They occur in different climate regions in nature and bloom at different times of day.[dubious – discuss] The purple-fruited species is self-fertile and the yellow fruited species, despite claims to the contrary,[by whom?] is self-sterile and requires two clones for pollination.[citation needed]

Uses

* In Paraguay, passion fruit is used mainly to make juice, prepare desserts like passion fruit mousse,cheesecake, ice cream, to flavor yogurts and cocktails.
* In New Zealand and Australia, where it is spelled "passionfruit", it is available commercially both fresh and canned. Fresh passion fruit is added to fruit salads, and fresh fruit pulp or passion fruit sauce is commonly used in desserts, including as a topping for pavlova (a regional meringue cake) and ice cream, a flavouring for cheesecake, and in the icing of vanilla slices. A passion fruit-flavoured softdrink called Passiona has also been manufactured in Australia for several decades.
* In Peru, passion fruit is used in several desserts, especially cheesecakes. It is also drunk alone as passion fruit juice and used in ceviche variations and in cocktails, including the passion fruit sour, a variation of the Pisco Sour
* In the Dominican Republic, it is used to make juice and jams. Passion fruit-flavoured syrup is used on shaved ice, and the fruit is also eaten raw sprinkled with sugar.
* In Puerto Rico, where the fruit is known as "Parcha", it is widely believed to lower blood pressure.[citation needed] This is probably because it contains harmala alkaloids and is a mild RIMA.[citation needed] Passion fruit juice is also very common there and is used in juices, ice cream or pastries.
* In the Philippines, passion fruit is commonly sold in public markets and in public schools. Some vendors sell the fruit with a straw in it to suck the seeds and juices inside. It is not very popular because of its sour flavor, and the fruit is very seasonal.
* In Vietnam, passion fruit is blended with honey and ice to create refreshing smoothies.
* In Brazil, passion fruit mousse is a common dessert, and passion fruit seeds are routinely used to decorate the tops of cakes. Passion fruit juice is also very common. When making Caipirinha, it is common to use passion fruit instead of lime. It is also used as a mild sedative, and its active ingredient is commercialized under several brands, most notably Maracugina.
* In Mexico, passion fruit is used to make juice or is eaten raw with chili powder and lime.
* In Indonesia, there are two types of passionfruit, white flesh and yellow flesh. The white one is normally eaten straight as a fruit. The yellow one is commonly strained to obtain its juice, which is cooked with sugar to make thick syrup. Bottles or plastic jugs of concentrated syrup (generally produced in Sumatra from fruit grown in the Lake Toba region[citation needed]) are sold in many supermarkets. Dilution of one part syrup to four (or more) parts water is recommended.
* In Hawaii, the varieties are called yellow lilikoʻi and purple lilikoʻi and the fruit is normally eaten raw. Hawaiians usually crack the rind of the passion fruit either with their hands or teeth and suck out the flavorful pulp and seeds.[citation needed] Passion fruit can also be cut in half and the pulp can easily be scooped out with a spoon. Passion fruit-flavored syrup is a popular topping for shave ice. Ice cream and mochi are also flavored with passion fruit, as well as many other desserts such as cookies, cakes, and ice cream. Passion fruit is also favored as a jam or jelly, as well as a butter. Passion fruit is not widely available in stores, so most of the fruit comes from backyard gardens or wild groves. It can be found, however, in farmers' markets throughout the islands.
* In South Africa, passion fruit, known locally as Granadilla, is used to flavor yogurt. It is also used to flavour soft drinks such as Schweppes Sparkling Granadilla and numerous cordial drinks. It is often eaten raw or used as a topping for cakes and tarts. Granadilla juice is commonly available in restaurants.

Nutrition

Fresh passion fruit is high in beta carotene, potassium, and dietary fiber. Passion fruit juice is a good source of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). The yellow variety is used for juice processing, while the purple variety is sold in fresh fruit markets.

In culture

The passion fruit has had a religious association as reflected by the name "passion" given to it by Catholic missionaries who thought that certain parts of the fruit bore some religious connections.[citation needed] These missionaries (who were joined by the Spanish Conquistadors in South America), saw a way of illustrating the Crucifixion:

* The three stigmas were to reflect the three nails in Jesus's hands and feet.
* The threads of the passion flower were believed to be a symbol of the Crown of Thorns.
* The vine's tendrils were likened to the whips.
* The five anthers represented the five wounds.
* The ten petals and sepals regarded to resemble the Apostles (excluding Judas and Peter).

The flower of the passion fruit is considered as the national flower of Paraguay.

Thai Drink Lemon grass tea

Flavoring :
- from lemon grass 3.
- fragrant screw pine leaves 3 leaves.

How to do:
Clear lemon grass to break clean enough different sectional split.
Fragrant screw pine leaves wash to clean maul split roasted sore enough to put boiled 5 minutes.

Properties:
Distend the stomach to be bloated tight fix have colic.Also diuretic for those with symptoms have suppression of urine.
Even less with any limb swelling. Lemon grass oil has effect kill fungi and bacteria.
Helps tract and upper respiratory tract clean. To prevent cold.

Coconut water

Coconut water is the clear liquid inside young coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm), not to be confused with coconut milk. As the fruit matures, the coconut water gradually is replaced by the coconut meat and air. A very young coconut has very little meat, and the meat is very tender, almost a gel. Coconut water has long been a popular drink in the tropics, especially in Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands like Hawaii and the Caribbean, where it is available fresh, canned or bottled. It is naturally fat-free and low in food energy (16.7 calories or 70 kilojoules per 100 grams).

Coconuts for drinking are carefully packaged and sold in many places. These are typically Asian coconuts whose outer green husk has been removed, and the remainder wrapped in plastic. In Central America, particularly in Costa Rica and Panama, it is found and sold in strategic highway stops or on the beaches; there, the coconut water is called "agua de pipa", and the coconut is cut in front of the customer to ensure its freshness. In Brazil, coconut water is called "água de coco," and is the second best-selling juice after orange juice. Coconut water can also be found in ordinary cans or tetra paks (and often has coconut pulp or coconut jelly added) and is also marketed as a sports drink because of its high potassium and mineral content. In fact, one cup-full of coconut water contains more electrolytes than most sports drinks and more potassium than a banana.

Morton Satin, known for his development of hi-fiber breads, folic acid supplementation, and wheatless breads for celiacs, developed the cold sterilization technology for coconut water that allows manufacturers to bottle coconut water without losing its flavor and nutritional characteristics while serving as Director of FAO's Agricultural Industries and Post-harvest Management Service. He was granted a British patent for this development.

While people prefer different flavors of coconut water, generally a green coconut with some age spots is the most popular. Coconuts from various parts of the world also differ in taste. For example, Indian coconuts tend to be sweet while Brazilian coconuts have a mild taste and Bangladeshi coconuts (due to the soil composition) have extremely sweet water and flesh with a very slight salty aftertaste similar to the Indian.

Coconut water is also used as an intravenous hydration fluid in some developing countries where medical saline is unavailable.

Composition of coconut water %

Water 95.5
Nitrogen 0.05
Phosphoric acid 0.56
Potassium 0.25
Calcium oxide 0.69
Magnesium oxide 0.59 g/100g
Iron 0.5
Total solids 4.71

Reducing sugars 0.80
Total sugars 2.08
Ash 0.62

Source: Pandalai, K. M. (1958). Coconut water and its uses. Coconut Bull. 12, No. 5, 167-173.

Useful of lime

Lime is a term referring to a number of different fruits, both species and hybrids, citruses, which have their origin in the Himalayan region of India and which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are often used to accent the flavours of foods and beverages. They are usually smaller than lemons, and a source of vitamin C. Limes are grown all year round and are usually sweeter than lemons.

Limes are a small citrus fruit, Citrus aurantifolia, whose skin and flesh are green in color and which have an oval or round shape with a diameter between one to two inches. Limes can either be sour or sweet, with the latter not readily available in the United States. Sour limes possess a greater sugar and citric acid content than lemons and feature an acidic and tart taste, while sweet limes lack citric acid content and are sweet in flavor.

Cooking

Zesting a lime

In cooking, lime is valued both for the acidity of its juice and the floral aroma of its zest. It is a very common ingredient in authentic Mexican, Southwestern United States, Vietnamese and Thai dishes. It is also used for its pickling properties in ceviche. Additionally, the leaves of lime are used in southeast Asian cuisine. The use of dried limes (called black lime or loomi) as a flavouring is typical of Persian cuisine and Iraqi cuisine, as well as in Gulf-style baharat (a spice mixture that is also called kabsa or kebsa). Lime is an essential ingredient of any cuisine from India and many varieties of pickles are made e.g. Sweetened lime pickle, salted pickle, Lemon Chutney . Lime juice drink is the essential freshner and is the most popular in Summers.Limes are also an essential element in Tamil cuisine.

Lime leaves are also a herb in South, East, and particularly Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, people have boiled chicken with lime leaves and a mixture of salt, black pepper and lime juice.

Other uses

In order to prevent scurvy during the 19th century, British sailors were issued a daily allowance of citrus such as lemon, and later switched to lime, which did not effectively prevent scurvy but led over time to the nickname "limey" for all Britons. It was later discovered that this beneficial effect derived from the quantities of Vitamin C lemon contains.

Lime extracts and essential oils are frequently used in perfumes, cleaning products, and aromatherapy. Lime is also used occasionally to enhance vision by many Asian martial artists.[who?] It is done by squeezing a drop or two on the inside corner of the eye.[citation needed] Lime juice may also be used to increase performance during intercourse, by squeezing a couple small drops into the member.

In India, the lime is used in Tantra for removing evil spirits. It is also combined with Indian chilis to make a protective charm to repel the evil eye[4] . Furthermore, it was believed that hanging limes over sick peoples cured them of the illness by repelling evil spirits lurking inside the body

Citrus Blast Off

Ingredients:
1 grapefruit
2 oranges
2 tangerines
¼ oz liquid ginseng

Method:
Peel and cut the grapefruit, oranges and tangerines into segments and juice.

Pineapple

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is the common name for an edible tropical plant and also its fruit (although technically multiple fruit merged together, and perceived as one). It is native to Paraguay and the southern part of Brazil. Pineapple is eaten fresh or canned and is available as a juice or in juice combinations. It is used in desserts, salads, as a complement to meat dishes and in fruit cocktail. While sweet, it is known for its high acid content (perhaps malic and/or citric). Pineapples are the only bromeliad fruit in widespread cultivation. It is one of the most commercially important plants which carry out CAM photosynthesis.

The word pineapple in English was first recorded in 1398, when it was originally used to describe the reproductive organs of conifer trees (now termed pine cones). When European explorers discovered this tropical fruit, they called them pineapples (term first recorded in that sense in 1664) because of their resemblance to what is now known as the pine cone. The term pine cone was first recorded in 1694 and was used to replace the original meaning of pineapple.

In the scientific binomial Ananas comosus, ananas, the original name of the fruit, comes from the Tupi (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) word for pine nanas, as recorded by André Thevenet in 1555 and comosus means "tufted" and refers to the stem of the fruit. Other members of the Ananas genus are often called pine as well by laymen.

Many languages use the Tupian term ananas. In Spanish, pineapples are called piña "pine cone" in Spain and most Hispanic American countries, or ananá (ananás in Argentina) (see the piña colada drink). They have varying names in the languages of India: "Anaasa" (అనాస) in telugu, annachi pazham (Tamil), anarosh (Bengali), and in Malayalam, kaitha chakka. In Malay, pineapples are known as "nanas" or "nenas". In the Maldivian language of Dhivehi, pineapples are known as alanaasi. A large, sweet pineapple grown especially in Brazil is called abacaxi [abakaˈʃiː].

The pineapple is a herbaceous perennial plant which grows to 1.0 to 1.5 metres (3.3 to 4.9 ft) tall with 30 or more trough-shaped and pointed leaves 30 to 100 centimetres (1.0 to 3.3 ft) long, surrounding a thick stem. The pineapple is an example of a multiple fruit: multiple, helically-arranged flowers along the axis each produce a fleshy fruit that becomes pressed against the fruits of adjacent flowers, forming what appears to be a single fleshy fruit.

The fruit of a pineapple are arranged in two interlocking helices, eight in one direction, thirteen in the other, each being a Fibonacci number.

The leaves of the cultivar 'Smooth Cayenne' mostly lack spines except at the leaf tip, but the cultivars 'Spanish' and 'Queen' have large spines along the leaf margins.[citation needed]

The natural (or most common) pollinator of the pineapple is the hummingbird.[citation needed] Pollination is required for seed formation; the presence of seeds negatively affects the quality of the fruit. In Hawaii, where pineapple is cultivated on an agricultural scale, importation of hummingbirds is prohibited for this reason.

Certain bat-pollinated wild pineapples, members of the bromeliad family, do the exact opposite of most flowers by opening their flowers at night and closing them during the day.

Pineapple contains a proteolytic enzyme bromelain, which breaks down protein. Pineapple juice can thus be used as a marinade and tenderizer for meat. The enzymes in raw pineapples can interfere with the preparation of some foods, such as jelly or other gelatin-based desserts. The bromelain breaks down in cooking or the canning process, thus canned pineapple can generally be used with gelatin. These enzymes can be hazardous to someone suffering from certain protein deficiencies or disorders, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.[citation needed] Raw pineapples also should not be consumed by those with hemophilia or by those with kidney or liver disease, as it may reduce the time taken to coagulate a consumer's blood.[citation needed]

Consumers of pineapple have claimed that pineapple has benefits for some intestinal disorders and others believe it serves as a pain reliever; others claim that it helps to induce childbirth when a baby is overdue.

Pineapple is a good source of manganese (91 %DV in a 1 cup serving), as well as containing significant amounts of Vitamin C (94 %DV in a 1 cup serving) and Vitamin B1 (8 %DV in a 1 cup serving).

The natives of southern Brazil and Paraguay spread the pineapple throughout South America, and it eventually reached the Caribbean. Columbus discovered it in the Indies and brought it back with him to Europe. The Spanish introduced it into the Philippines, Hawaii (introduced in the early 19th century, first commercial plantation 1886), Zimbabwe and Guam. The fruit was cultivated successfully in European hothouses, and pineapple pits, beginning in 1720. Commonly grown cultivars include 'Red Spanish', 'Hilo', 'Smooth Cayenne', 'St. Michael', 'Kona Sugarloaf', 'Natal Queen', and 'Pernambuco'.

The pineapple was introduced to Hawaii in 1813; exports of canned pineapples began in 1892. Large scale pineapple cultivation by U.S. companies began in the early 1900s on Hawaii. Among the most famous and influential pineapple industrialists was James Dole, who started a pineapple plantation in Hawaii in the year 1900.The companies Dole and Del Monte began growing pineapple on the island of Oahu in 1901 and 1917, respectively. Maui Pineapple Company began pineapple cultivation on the island of Maui in 1909. In 2006, Del Monte announced its withdrawal from pineapple cultivation in Hawaii, leaving only Dole and Maui Pineapple Company in Hawaii as the USA’s largest growers of pineapples. Maui Pineapple Company markets its Maui Gold brand of pineapple and Dole markets its Hawaii Gold brand of pineapple.

In the USA in 1986, the Pineapple Research Institute was dissolved and its assets were divided between Del Monte and Maui Land and Pineapple. Del Monte took 73-114, which it dubbed MD-2, to its plantations in Costa Rica, found it to be well-suited to growing there, and launched it publicly in 1996. (Del Monte also began marketing 73-50, dubbed CO-2, as Del Monte Gold). In 1997, Del Monte began marketing its Gold Extra Sweet pineapple, known internally as MD-2. MD-2 is a hybrid that originated in the breeding program of the now-defunct Pineapple Research Institute in Hawaii, which conducted research on behalf of Del Monte, Maui Land & Pineapple Company, and Dole.

Southeast Asia dominates world production: in 2001 Thailand produced 1.979 million tons, the Philippines 1.618 million tons while in the Americas, Brazil 1.43 million tons. Total world production in 2001 was 14.220 million tons. The primary exporters of fresh pineapples in 2001 were Costa Rica, 322,000 tons; Côte d'Ivoire, 188,000 tons; and the Philippines, 135,000 tons.

At one time, most canned and fresh pineapples came from the cultivar 'Smooth Cayenne'. Since about 2000, the most common fresh pineapple fruit found in U.S. and European supermarkets is a low-acid hybrid that was developed in Hawaii in the early 1970s.

In commercial farming, flowering can be induced artificially, and the early harvesting of the main fruit can encourage the development of a second crop of smaller fruits. Once removed during cleaning, the top of the pineapple can be planted in soil and a new fruit-bearing plant will grow in a manner similar to that of a potato or onion, which will sprout from a cutting. Crowns are the primary method of propagation for home gardeners, though slips and suckers are preferred.[10]
Cultivars

* 'Hilo': A compact 1–1.5 kg (2-3 lb) Hawaiian variant of 'Smooth Cayenne'. The fruit is more cylindrical and produces many suckers but no slips.
* 'Kona Sugarloaf': 2.5–3 kg (5-6 lb), white flesh with no woodiness in the center. Cylindrical in shape, it has a high sugar content but no acid. An unusually sweet fruit.
* 'Natal Queen': 1–1.5 kg (2-3 lb), golden yellow flesh, crisp texture and delicate mild flavor. Well adapted to fresh consumption. Keeps well after ripening. Leaves spiny.
* 'Pernambuco' ('Eleuthera'): 1–2 kg (2-4 lb) with pale yellow to white flesh. Sweet, melting and excellent for eating fresh. Poorly adapted for shipping. Leaves spiny.
* 'Red Spanish': 1–2 kg (2-4 lb), pale yellow flesh with pleasant aroma; squarish in shape. Well adapted for shipping as fresh fruit to distant markets. Leaves spiny.
* 'Smooth Cayenne': 2.5–3 kg (5-6 lb), pale yellow to yellow flesh. Cylindrical in shape and with high sugar and acid content. Well adapted to canning and processing. Leaves without spines. This is the variety from Hawaii, and the most easily obtainable in U.S. grocery stores. Both 73-114 and 73-50 are of this cultivar.

Ethno-medical usage

The root and fruit are either eaten or applied topically as an anti-inflammatory and as a proteolytic agent. It is traditionally used as an antihelminthic agent in the Philippines

Apricot

Apricot is a drupe fruit. It is closely related to the plum.

Description

* Plant: Small to medium sized tree, 8–12 m tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm in diameter with spreading, dense canopy; leaves are shaped somewhat like a heart, with pointed tips, about 8 cm (1/3 inch) wide.
* Flowers: Flowers are white to pinkish in color.
* Fruit: The fruit has only one seed; the color runs from yellow to orange and may have a red cast; the surface of the fruit is smooth and nearly hairless.

www.apricotseeds.org - includes information on medicinal uses of apricot seeds.