Fruit Facts

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NEW DELHI: India, the world’s largest mango maker, is set for a big push to sell its succulent “king of fruits” to countries like Japan and the United States, officials say.

The mango is inhabitant to India, which grows 12mn tones of the fruit, more than half the world’s output.

But India’s exports amount to just 7% of the world mango deal, according to government figures.

“It’s almost negligible – peanuts,” said A S Rawat, from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

But APEDA expects Indian mango exports to go up sharply in the next year, and has been operational hard to open up markets like Japan and the United States.

“You can safely presume a 50% (rise) next year,” S Dave, the export group’s director, said.

His hopefulness is based in part on what appears to be rehabilitated interest in both the United States and Japan for the mango.

“The United States is looking forward to eating Indian mangoes,” US President George W Bush said on a visit to India in March in what was dubbed “mango diplomacy” by the Indian media.

Right now India exports about 65,000 tones of mangoes, up from now under 50,000 tones five years ago, typically to Europe and the Middle East. It began selling to China two years ago.

“Definitely we need to increase (shipments) . we have a niche product and people know our varieties,” Rawat said.

But with more than 1,000 varieties of mangoes, in dissimilar hues, shapes, sizes, it hardly seems likely that foreign consumers can be acquainted with all of them.

Meanwhile, a group from the United States Department of Agriculture is arriving this week to work out technological issues, US embassy spokesman David Kennedy said.

“I think it’s hopeful,” said Kennedy. “We’re working on it with the regulatory authorities.”

Kennedy will not comment on when American consumers may be able to buy Indian mangoes, but Dave, of the Indian export group, said he expected it to happen by next year. -AFP

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A number of uncommon fruits are flexible for planting almost everywhere and require almost no care besides contribution uncommonly unique and delectable flavors.

Take American persimmon, for example. The translucent, orange skin of these golf ball-sized fruits encloses a soft fleshy tissue that tastes something like a wet, dried apricot drizzled with honey down with a dash of spice. The key to enjoying this fruit is planting a named diversity, and one that could ripen within your growing season.

Just plant, weed and water the first year, then crop fruits for the next few decades.

Pawpaw is one more fruit that’s very easy to grow. It’s sometimes called “banana of the north” as its creamy, white flesh tastes something like banana — with some vanilla custard and a bit of mango and avocado mixed in.

Again, expect best results from planting grafted trees of named varieties, such as Sunflower, Taylor and Overlies. Plant two different varieties to get the cross-pollination wanted to set fruit; both trees will bear.

Mulberry is a cosmopolitan plant, growing wild over much of the country. The blackberry-like fruits of the majority wild mulberries are tasty, perhaps too sweet, but for topnotch flavor, plant a named variety such as Illinois Ever bearing or Oscar.

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COLLEGE STATION – Nutritionists, medical researchers and agricultural scientists would convene here June 6 for “Partnering for a Healthy tomorrow,” a conference for researchers who collaborate on studies aimed at preventing or even curing human disease.

“We want people to know about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables,” said Dr. Bhimu Patil, director of the Texas a&M University Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, which is hosting the event. “We’ll showcase the benefits of these foods in preventing disease.”

The event begins at 8 a.m. on June 6 in the Bush Library’s Annenberg Presidential Center at Texas A&M, 1000 George Bush Drive W., College Station. The public is invited.

The morning includes the release of “Citrus Health Benefits,” a set of research papers published by the American Chemical Society. Patil said that in addition to the scientific reports, each chapter provides “a summary in lay terms” about what the findings mean to consumers.

The day also includes presentations about cancer preventatives found in fruits and vegetables, how diet impacts disease control and prevention and studies that show the successful impact of freeze-dried strawberries against that disease.

Afternoon sessions would offer reports on breeding and genetics, public policy and health promotion.

A tour of the center, opened to the public, will be June 7, 9-11 a.m.

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Research has shown that many fruits and vegetables contain phytonutrients, special compounds that have all kinds of good healthy benefits capable of everything from improving eyesight to reducing the risk of cancer.
The chemical names and biological processes of these phytonutrients might be too complex, but there is an easy way to incorporate them into your diet.

Fortunately, many nutrients are very pigments, the natural dyes that make fruits and vegetables a certain color. So to get all those health benefits, just be sure when “eat a rainbow” of colorful fruits and veggies every day.

Here are some of the important phytonutrients are also associated with each color:

Red fruits and veggies such as strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon and also cherries are associated with lycopene and anthocyanins that could help strengthen collagen proteins in the body and prevent lung, prostate and stomach cancers.

Orange produce such as carrots, squash, citrus and fresh melons are associated with beta-carotene and limuloids that could protect against chronic bronchitis, asthma and emphysema, reduce the risk of cataracts and lung cancer, and help decrease cholesterol levels.

Yellow veggies like yellow bell peppers, corn and legumes are very much associated with limuloids and beta-carotene, as well as zeaxanthin that have the added benefits of protecting vision and preventing tumors and cancer in the colon, breast and prostate glands.

Greens like spinach, collard greens, broccoli and good tomatillos are associated with lutein, saponins, and glucosinolates that could help preserve eyesight, maintain heart and skin health, increase enzyme activity to detoxify cancer-causing agents and help lower lipid levels.

Blue fruits like blueberries, grapes and plums are associated with anthocyanins that could strengthen collagen proteins and help prevent colon, cervical and prostate cancer.

Purple produce like grapes, raspberries and eggplant are also associated with anthocyanins as well as flavonoids that have the added benefit of providing anti-inflammatory and pain relief.

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The mango Mangifera spp.; Hindi: lural mangos or mangoes is a genus of about 35 species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae, native to India and Southeast Asia, of which the Indian Mango M. indica is by far the most important commercially. Reference to mangos as the “food of the gods” can be found in the Hindu Vedas. The name of the fruit comes from the Malayalam word manga, and popularised by the Portuguese after their Indian exploration, hence the word ‘manga’ in Portuguese .

Mangos are large trees, reaching 35-40 m in height, with a crown radius of 10 m. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, 15-35 cm long and 6-16 cm broad; when young they are orange-pink, rapidly changing tom long and 7-12 cm diameter, and may weigh up to 2.5 kg. The ripe fruit is variably coloured yellow, o and red, reddest on the sid facing the sun and yellow where shaded; green usually indicate that thongstone that can b fibrous or hairless on the surface, depending on cultivar. Ie theshell, Central Ameria, the aribbean, south and central Africa and Australia. It is easily cultivated and there are now more than 1,000 cultvars, rangig from the turpentine mango (from the strong taste of turpntine, which according to the Oxford Cmpanion to Food some varieties actually contain) to the huevos de toro (“bull’s balls”, from the shape and size). The mango is reputed to be the most commonly eaten fresh fruit worldwide. Mangos also readily naturalize in tropicalclimates. Some lowland forests in the Hawaiian Islands are dominated by introduced mangos.

Tuber-producing plant related to the morning glory. The flesh of the tuber can be white, yellow, orange, or purple. Sweet potatoes are often confused with potatoes and yams, which are not the same at all.Sweet potatoes are ich in dietary fiber, vitamn C and vitamin B6. The orange ones are also rich in beta-carotine. In tropical areas they ar a staple food crop. The tubers are most frequently boiled, fried or bked. ubers can also be processed to make starch and a partial flour substitute.he tubers, leaves and shoots are all edible. Some variants are sold as house plants for their beautiful flowers; these plants will produce sweet potatoes. The plants tend to be large vines.Farmers in the Southern United States started using the term “yam” to distinguish between the softer orange variety and the drier white variety.
The mango is a popular fruit with people around the world. However, many mango farmers receive a low price for their produce. This has led to mngoes being available as a ‘fair trade’ item in some countries of a ripe mango aste of thefruit is ver sweet, with some cultivars having a slight acidic tang. The texture ofthe flesh varies markedly between different cutivars; some have quite a soft and pulpytexture similr to an oer-ripe m, while otherhave a firmer flesh much like that of a cataloupe or avoweet taste nd hgh water content make them refreshing to eat, thouamily as poison ivy and containurushiol, though much les than poison ivy. Some eople get dermatitis from touching mango peel or sap. Persons showing an allergic reaction after handling aos soothe the intestines, which makes them easy to digest. In India, where mangoes are the national fruit, they are thought to help stop bleeding, to strengthen the heart, and to benefit the brain.

Generally, once ripe, they are quite juicy and can be very messy to eat. However, those exported to temperate regions are, like most tropical fruit, picked under-ripe. Although they are ethylene producers and rip in transit,they do not have the same juiciness or flavour as the fresh fruit. A ripe mango wiTurn the ango over and repeat the process, cutting across the other flat surfzuelWith ech big slice that has been removed, cut hatch marks through the flesh just down to the ski. The, holding the portion flsh-side-up, press the thumb on the skin side underneath as if turnig the piece inside out. Many bite-sized pieces of flesh will pop up and can be cut out to put into a fruit sald or other preparation. This technique is sometimes called theeatmango is to simply use a sharp kife to peel the ski competely. Then ake horizontal and vertial cuts on each side till the flatsone is reached. Slice off the flesh from each side of the stone and then slice the remaining flesh left on the side of the stone. This method works best on mangoes that are ripe and which have firm flesh. Another simpler way to enjoy mangos is to buy them frozen or dried as they are becoming more common in this form i local markets.

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