Durian – King of fruit

Durian (Durio zibethinus) is a native fruit of Southeast Asia. Its range appears to be the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, and the island of Borneo.

Durian belongs to family Bombacaceae and it chromosome number is 2n = 56. Durio zibethinus is a medium to large buttressed tree, up to 45 m tall in dense lowland forests and 10-15 m in orchards and backyards; bark dark red brown, peeling off irregularly. Durian grows well in hot, humid climates with high rainfall. It prefers sandy loam soil. Seed and vegetative means are used for propagation.

Durian is a climacteric fruit that undergoes rapid postharvest changes resulting in a short shelf life at ambient temperature. These changes are essential for a good quality for consumption. The fruit is usually consumed fresh, but it can be processed into different products.

Fruit varies greatly in size; 15-25 cm in diameter, green to yellowish brown, with spines that are variable in length and shape. Seeds chestnutbrown, completely enclosed in a thick, white or yellow, soft, sweet, fragrant aril.

Its edible aril is soft and creamy with white or yellowish color. The aril has a sweet taste and strong dominated by fruity (estery) and unique sulfury notes. Due to its unique and highly characteristic flavor, durian is deemed as a delicacy and even regarded as the King of Fruits by local people.

Flowers are white or pink in color and arranged in cymes. Fruit is a large, spherical, ovoid, spiny, green to yellow capsule that split into five valves.

This fruit can reduce lethality of alcohol. In India leaves and roots used in a prescription for fever. Leaves also used in medicinal bath during fever. For fruit walls used externally for skin disease.
Durian – King of fruit

Vitamins in mangosteen

Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) is a tropical fruit cultivated mainly in Southeast Asia. Mangosteen is commonly found in tropical rainforests of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, as well as in some cultivated orchards of Sri Lanka and India. It is referred to as the Queen of Fruits and the Food of the Gods. Recent studies have shown mangosteen has many health benefits.

The fruit is rich source of antioxidants and vitamins. The mangosteen contains vitamins such as vitamin C, B1, B2, B6.

Mangosteen is good source of vitamin-C and provides about 12% of RDA per 100 g. The xanthones work together with vitamin C in mangosteen to enhanced and improved immunity system. While xanthones function in fighting the free radicals, vitamin C promotes the production and function of leukocytes or the white blood cells, which are majorly responsible for body system immunity.

Vitamin E is one of the fat-soluble vitamins acting as an antioxidant, which can counteract free radical. This leads to the improvement of the immune system by preventing involved cells such as lymphocytes, macrophages and plasma cells from oxidative damage, proliferation and macrophage phagocytosis.

The fruit also is a mild source of B-complex vitamins such as thiamin, niacin, and folates. These group of vitamins are acting as cofactors the help body metabolizes carbohydrates, protein, and fats.
Vitamins in mangosteen

Dietary fiber of fruits

All fruits and nuts contribute to dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is that part of plant material in the diet which is resistant to enzymatic digestion which h includes cellulose, noncellulosic polysaccharides such as hemicellulose, pectic substances, gums, mucilages and a non-carbohydrate component lignin.

Dietary fiber comes from the portion of plants that is not digested in the intestinal tract. The dietary fiber content of fruits ranges from 0.5 to 1.5% (fresh weight basis).

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.

Diets, deficient in dietary fiber will lead to a number of diseases such as constipation, hiatus hernia, appendicitis, diabetes, obesity, coronary heart diseases, gallstones, etc. Consumption of adequate amounts of dietary fiber reduces the risk of above-mentioned diseases.

Dietary fiber, although not always defined as such, has been consumed for centuries and is recognized for having health benefits. Soluble and insoluble fibers make up the two basic categories of dietary fiber.

Pectin and gum are water-soluble fibers found inside plant cells. Pectin has an effect in lowering the amount of cholesterol in the blood. Pectin is found in some fruits such as apples, pears, and citrus fruits.
Dietary fiber of fruits

Lipids in fruit and vegetable

Lipids are structurally and functionally diverse. The most abundant lipids are triacylglycerols, which are used by plants as for dense energy storage. Lipids of vegetable origin are regularly consumed by humans as part of our everyday diet, for example, as cooking oil (>99% lipids) or from nuts and seeds (up to 75%).

Biological lipids are a chemically diverse group of compounds; the common feature is their insolubility in water.

The only major fruits and vegetables with a relatively high lipid content are avocado and the olive.

The content of lipids in avocado fruit is significantly higher than in other fruits, avocado fruit is used as a high-energy food source. Moreover, avocado oil is one of kinds of oil used all over the world and has been used both as a food and as constituent in cosmetics.

Studies showed that mulberry, red raspberry, marionberry, boysenberry and blueberry, the main fatty acids were found to be linoleic and linolenic acids. It was interesting that, all wild grown raspberry genotypes had higher amount of linoleic, palmitic and stearic acid than cultivated one.
Lipids in fruit and vegetable

Carbohydrate in fruit and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are consumed at all times, and due to their convenient size; they are an excellent between-meal snack. They are relatively low in calories and fat (avocado and olives being the exceptions), they have no cholesterol, they are rich in carbohydrates and fiber, they contain vitamin C and carotene, and some are a good source of vitamin B 6.

The empirical composition of carbohydrates may be expressed by the formula CnH2nOn. With regard to their specific chemical properties, carbohydrates may contain a potential aldehyde, -CHO, or ketone, C=O, group. Carbohydrates are part of a healthful diet.

Vegetables are composed chiefly of carbohydrates, mainly simple sugars and complex carbohydrates (starch and dietary fiber). The content ranges from 1-2% in the leaf and stem vegetables to 27% in sweet potato. Root vegetables have the highest carbohydrate content. Dietary fiber content ranges from 0.8% in cucumber to 8.0% in artichoke.

Carbohydrate functions include, among others, the storage of energy reserves and the make-up of much of the structural framework of cells. Simple carbohydrates, which are also the immediate products of photosynthesis, are important components of sensorial quality attributes.

Fruit vary widely in their carbohydrate content (between 1.5% and 26%). Ripe fruit contain no starch; the main sugars are fructose and glucose which are often present in equal proportions. Apple and pear, contain more fructose, while apricot and peach also contain sucrose. Like vegetables, fruit also contain dietary fiber. Various organic acids in unripe fruit produce the typical sour taste. During ripening concentration of these acids falls and that of sugars rises.

Glucose, fructose and sucrose are water-soluble and together they comprise most of the sugars associated with the sweet taste of fruits and vegetables. In many fruits (e.g. apple, pear, strawberry, grape) glucose and fructose are present in greater amounts than sucrose, but in certain vegetables, such as parsnip, beetroot, carrot, onion, sweet corn, pea and sweet potato, and in some ripe fruits such as banana, pineapple, peach and melon, the sucrose content is higher.

Free xylose, in trace amounts, has been reported in onion, strawberries, prunes, apples, pears, grapes, juniper berries, barley malts, brewhouse worts, maple syrup, asparagus, the white and the yolk of eggs, corn, tomatoes, apricots, bamboo shoots, potatoes, beans, alfalfa, beer, and mangoes.

Dietary fiber is composed of non-digestible carbohydrates and lignin intrinsic and intact in plants. Diets rich in dietary fiber have been shown to have a number of beneficial effects, including decreased risk of coronary heart disease and improvement in laxation.

The recommended dietary fiber intake is 14 grams per1,000 calories consumed. The majority of servings from the fruit group should come from whole fruit (fresh, frozen, canned, dried) rather than juice. Increasing the proportion of fruit that is eaten in the form of whole fruit rather than juice is desirable to increase fiber intake.

Carbohydrate in fruit and vegetables

Cranberries fruit

The cranberry is a native American fruit. Its native range extends in temperate climate zones from the East Coast to the Central U. S. and Canada and from Southern Canada in the north to the Appalachians in the south.

Cranberry fruit are true berries that are borne on short vertical uprights from the trailing stems of the cranberry plant. Fruit set occurs in late June and fruit reach maturity by mid September through early November depending on cultivar, season, and location.

Fresh cranberry fruit quality is based on color, size, and texture. Fruit should have intense red color, surface shine, uniform size, good firmness, and freedom from defects. The flesh should be creamy white.

Fruit ripening is primarily determined by anthocyanin formation that gives the fruit a dark red color. Ripening appears to be initiated by a combination of environmental factors including accumulation of growing degree days, photoperiod, and light exposure.

Cranberry fruits are grown mainly for processing purposes, but in the U.S., strong markets for fresh fruit exist for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. In addition to the traditional aspects of cranberry consumption, health benefits of the fruit have become increasingly important.

The majority of human studies have focused on cranberry’s effect on urinary tract health. In addition, research has explored the impact of cranberries on cardiovascular disease, cancer prevention, oral health, glycemic response, and infections such as by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria, a cause of gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.
Cranberries fruit

Minerals content in fruit

All fruits and vegetables contain important minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. About 14 mineral elements are considered to be essential nutritional constituents: calcium, sodium, zinc, iodine, copper, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, fluoride, manganese, iron, magnesium, cobalt and chloride.

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

Minerals are basic components in secondary metabolic pathways that produce valuable phytochemicals for normal human health.

Although fruits are not rich in minerals, potassium is the most abundant mineral available in fruit and occurs mainly in combination with various organic acids.

In fruit the pH of the tissue is controlled by the potassium/organic acid balance and high concentrations of potassium can contribute to blood pressure of humans. The degree of thermal processing influence on the mineral content of the product depends on the treatment severity.
Minerals content in fruit

Concord grape health benefits

Grapes come in different colors. The darker color of the grapes, the better nutrients.

Red and dark purple Concord grapes are high in two flavonoids – quercetin and rutin. One study conducted by scientists at the University of Wisconsin, looked at the effects of two servings of Concord grape juice a day in fifteen people with coronary artery disease.

After two weeks, the subjects had improved blood flow and reduced oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

The Concord grape variety is chiefly used for the manufacture of grape juice. Approximately 96% of the juice made in New York state is prepared from Concord Grapes. Natural acidity, color and aroma of fresh grape berries provide quality in single strength Concord grape juice. Acidity above 0.85% results in juice that is too tart.

Hot pressing of the grapes is important to extract anthocyanin pigments, flavor components, amino acids, organic acids, sugars, minerals, tannins, and other ingredients. The only sugars are found in Concord grapes are glucose, fructose and sucrose, and the major nonvolatile acids found were tartaric and malic.

In one study, purple color red Concord grape juice help prevent breast cancer. An experiment was conducted on laboratory rats. There was significant reduction in breast tumor mass after they were fed the grape juice on the experimental basis.
Concord grape health benefits

Banana allergy

Type 1 allergy mean that the people allergy to banana. Like all food allergies, banana allergy is also caused due to a protein known as chitinase. Chitinase often causes the immune system of the body to react in an unfavorable manner. The protein called chitinase also found in avocado and kiwi fruit.

Another chemical found in banana is serotonin, which symptom including cramping, flushing of the skin, headache, and heart palpitations. The severity of the symptoms is dependent on the amount the histamine like substance ingested and the lack of the histamine metabolizing enzyme diamine oxidase in your system.

Most reactions happened last less than a day and can involve a rash on the skin, cramping in the abdomen, increase heart palpitations, headache, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, runny nose, watery eyes, wheezing and coughing.

Banana allergy is not a very common disorder. A lot of people who claim to be allergic to bananas in fact only have intolerance towards the fruit.
Banana allergy

Canned Blueberries

Fresh ripe blueberries may spoil of left out at room temperature for a day or more, but they will keep for 2 or 3 days if stored without washing in a covered container in the refrigerator. Canned blueberries can be light or heavy syrup packed or water packed.

Blueberries can be canned, mostly used for pie fillings, are cleaned and inspected, placed in cans, and the cans are then filled with water or with a 10-30% sugar solution to cover the head space.

The open cans are the exhausted or heated in free-flowing steam for 10 minutes, and finally sealed and heat process at about 93-95 °C with 25-30 minutes holding time.

The packing syrup from canned or frozen berries usually has picked up much of the color and flavor form the fruit. Hence, it may be used as a flavoring or a syrup for ice-cream sodas and sundaes, milk shake, mixed drinks, pancakes and waffles.

Compared with other fruits, canned blueberries are an excellent source of iron, fair sources of vitamin A, about average in protein fat and calcium and low in phosphorus.

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

Mango Malformation Disease

Mango Malformation Disease (MMD) is a fungal disease of mangoes caused by several species of Fusarium, some yet to be described. Mango is only known host of the disease. This is the most economically important disease of mango in the Middle East and worldwide.

It is an age old disease, is one of the most threatening disease of recent times primarily because of its destructive and widespread nature. The disease spreads on a tree very slowly, but if left unchecked, can severely reduce yields. The main method of spreading MMD to new areas is through infected vegetative planting material.

There is no evidence that the disease can spread on fruit or the seeds, or that it affects human health. It usually associated with the bud mite, Aceria mangiferae but the mites have been shown to spread the disease within a tree and not between trees.

Although the disease was recognized as early as 1891 by Maries in India, some attention was devoted to its only in mid 1950s when it started assuming serious proportions in other parts of the country.  Australia was thought to be free of the disease but in November 2007, symptoms of MMD were detected on treed in a finalized research trial containing about 2,000 trees at Coastal Plains Research Farm at Middle Point.

Among the symptoms of mango malfunctions disease including: stunting of shoots and panicles, loss of apical dominance, prolonged longevity of malformed panicles, shifting of flowering buds towards vegetative growth, more staminate flowers, pollen sterility, increase cell size, low transpiration vis-à-vis higher moisture content and disease resistance.
Mango Malformation Disease

Nutrients in mangosteen fruit

Mangosteens, Garcina mangostana, are native to countries such as Malaysia, the Phillippines, and Thailand. Now they are also cultivated in Brazil and India for American importers.

Consumption of mangosteen fruit as part of a nutritious diet has been found to offer unrivaled benefit in a wide variety of health conditions.

The nutritional value of hundred grams of mangosteen is 73 kcal of energy. 0.58 g of fat, vitamins B6, riboflavin and B1, folic acid, along with trace metals like magnesium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, potassium, calcium and 0.41 g protein.  

Mangosteen contains powerful antioxidants and immune system boosters called xanthones, natural chemical compounds who were proven to possess a variety of potent medicinal properties.

They have shown to have more potent antioxidant activity than vitamin WE, one of the nature’s most powerful known antioxidants.
Nutrients in mangosteen fruit

Vitamins in fruit

Vitamins are nutrients required for specific functions in the body. If the vitamins are not consumed in sufficient quantities, deficiency diseases develop. Fresh fruits and vegetables contribute about 91% of vitamin C, 48% of vitamin A, 27% of vitamin B6, 17% of thiamin and 15% of niacin to U.S diet.

The following fruits are important contributors (based on their vitamin content and the amount consumed) to the supply of indicated vitamins in the U.S diets:

Vitamin A: apricot, peach, cherry orange, mango, papaya, persimmon, pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon

Vitamin C: strawberry, orange, grapefruit, kiwifruit, pineapple, banana, apple, cantaloupe, blackcurrants, cherries, plum

Niacin: peach, banana, orange, apricot

Riboflavin: banana, peach, orange, apple, avocado

Thiamin: orange, banana, grapefruit, apple

Some vitamin especially vitamins B12, D and E, are not present in significant amounts in fruits.
Vitamins in fruit 

Durian

How to define quality of fruits and vegetables?

Fruits and vegetables are very important by day to-day living. They are valuable sources of vitamin, minerals, fibers, and antioxidants, which are essential for a healthy and well balanced diet.

The demand for all year round supplies, the same fresh quality is desired on a year round basis.

In harvested plant producer, quality is the composite of those characteristics that differentiate individual units of the product and have significant in determining the units’ degree of acceptability to the user.

Consumers prefer to buy fruits and vegetables of high quality based on their appearance, sensory, and nutritive values.

Quality has been defined as “the composite of those characteristics that differentiate individual units of a product, and have significance in determining the degree of acceptability by the buyer”.

The specific qualities required in vegetables will depend on their end-use and the selection of appropriate cultivars for particular products of paramount importance.

External quality characteristics, those that can be perceived by the senses of sight and touch without ingesting the product, are important in product differentiation, particularly in purchase decision and food preparation.

Internal quality characteristics, those that can perceived by the sense of taste, smell, and touch (mouthfeel), combine with the visual appearance in determine acceptability and presumably decision to repurchase that product.

The degree of acceptability of fresh fruits and vegetables and their products is a combination of attributes, properties, or appearances that give each commodity value in terms of human food.

Several factors such as environmental conditions, cultivars, cultural practices, susceptibility to pests and disease, time of harvest and postharvest conditions, determine the quality of these commodities.
How to define quality of fruits and vegetables?

Antioxidants in fruits

Fruits, berries and vegetables contain various phytochemicals with different bioactivities such as antioxidants activity.

Fruits and berries are good sources of antioxidants, including, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, tocopherols, flavonoids and phenolic acids.

The main antioxidants in fruits are vitamin C or ascorbic acid, which is colorless and the carotenoid and flavonoids families of antioxidants that provide fruits with their orange, yellow, pink, red and purple colors. 

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. They are positively correlated with antioxidant capacity of the fruit.

These anthocyanins inhibit cholesterol synthesis theses fruits provide protection against heart disease. 

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.

Carotenoids are known to enhance immune function. Persons with high blood levels of carotenoids have a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.

The vitamin E content of fruits is generally low, but seeds and nuts have high vitamin E content.

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.

A study at the Harvard School of Public Health done in 1995 on 48,000 men for 4 years reported that men who ate 10 or more servings of tomato products per week had up to 34% less chance to develop prostate cancer.

Durian

They showed that lycopene intake from tomato based products is related to a low risk of prostate cancer. 

Food processing of fruits and berries into juices and jams, and drying of fruits generally result in lower amounts of antioxidants compounds. For example, losses of anthocyanins in juices and purees of strawberries, strawberry and blackcurrant syrups, cranberry juice, raspberry juice and wine.
Antioxidants in fruits

The fruit of mangosteen

Mangosteen, or Garcina mangostana, is a tropical fruit of the size of an apple. It was reportedly the favorite fruit of Queen Victoria. Mangosteen contains vitamin C, B1, B2, B6, potassium, iron and calcium.

The edible part of the mangosteen is juicy, with a slightly acidic sweet taste, soft, fragrant and has a cream to white colored flesh, whereas the peel is dark purple.

Mangosteen has a long history of use in folk medicine because of its nutritional and medicinal properties. It has been traditionally used to relieve the dehydration or diarrhea from dysentery, and as a poultice for cuts. 

Mangosteen has been described as antioxidant-rich anti-inflammatory, antitumor, anti-allergic, antibacterial, and antifungal food.

One of the most important mangosteen health benefits is its effect on the cardiovascular system. It is believed to be effective in preventing diseases like arthritis, cataracts, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, kidney stones, glaucoma, Alzheimer’s, neuralgia and more.

This tropical fruit is high in xanthones, a group of polyphenols at t is largely responsible for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power.

The xanthones show promise in helping to strengthen immune system. Mangosteen also contains catechins, polyphenols and polysaccharides.
The fruit of mangosteen

Processing of fruit

Fruit processing may be started on 4000 BC. At that time the Egyptians already master viticulture and the art of wine making.

Oranges, apples, grapes and bananas are the most popular fruits. The consumption of fruits and processed products has enjoyed an unprecedented growth during the past decade.

Most juices are derived from fleshy fruits and these may be conveniently subdivided for processing into three categories.
• Fruits which are pulped and their juices removed by pressing e.g., apple, berry fruits
• Fruits requiring the use of specialized extraction equipment, e.g., citrus fruits, pineapples
• Fruits requiring heat treatment before processing, e.g., tomatoes, stone fruits

In most large fruit processing operations the plant is usually dedicated to one type of fruit. By far the largest volume of processed apples and oranges, the two most important fruits commodities, is in the form of juices.

The aim of the juice extraction process is to obtain as much juice out of the fruit as possible while preventing rag, oil. and other component of the fruit entering the juice.

Citrus fruits are unusual because the outer skin or flavedo is rich in essential oils and other tissues such as the albedo or carpellary membranes contain substances that give rise to bitter flavors.

The processing of citrus typically involves separation of these various components as an important principle and for certain products such as comminuted bases, the various components are recombined in different proportions.

The stone fruits are characterized by a fleshy mesocarp (pulp) surrounding a wood like endocarp or stone, referred to a in agriculture and processing circles as the pit.

The flesh of stone fruits is separated from the stones or pits, not only to facilitate ease of handling, but also because the stones are further processed to obtain both fixed oils and glycosides.

Fixed oils, such as those from peach, have application in the cosmetics industry and glycosides may be used as a source of other natural flavoring ingredients such as benzaldehyde.

There are however many other products obtained from fruit, including canned, dried and frozen fruit, pulps, purees and marmalades.

The food processing industry uses fruits as ingredients in juice blends, snacks, baby foods and many other processed food items.

Advances in fruit processing technologies mostly occur in response to consumer demands or improvement in the efficiency of technology.
Processing of fruit

Fruit of blueberries

In 1615, Samuel de Champlain watched the Aboriginals gather and dry blueberries in the Lake Huron region. Once dried, blueberries were crushed and mixed with cornmeal, water and honey to make pudding called ‘sautautig.’

The genus Vaccinium L. includes approximately 400 species, which are concentrated in the montane tropics but extend to all continents except Australia.

Blueberries should be planted where they have full sunlight most of the day, and far enough from roots of trees to avoid competition for moisture and nutrients.

They are shallow-rooted plant and must be either irrigated, heavily mulched, or planted in a soil with a high water table. Adequate drainage must be provided, however, because they cannot tolerate wet feed.

It is a high value crop which can thrive on acidic, imperfectly drained sandy soils, once conspired worthless for agriculture crop production.

Blueberries have a wonderful taste and are quite nutritious. They are low in calories and sodium and are a good source of fiber and pectin, both known to lower blood cholesterol levels.

The rich dark color in blueberries provides lots of antioxidants that protect the cells in human body from damage by free radicals. In fact, blueberries have more antioxidants than any other commercially grown fruit.
Fruit of blueberries

Fruit of Mango

The mango is believed to have been discovered as long as five to six thousand years in eastern India, Thailand, Myanmar, the Andaman Islands or Malaysia.

Mango, sometimes called ‘King of Fruits is the world’s most popular fruit, cultivated in more than one hundred countries.

Asia still accounts for more than three quarters of the world’s mangoes, with India remaining the main producer.

The mango tree is believed to have evolved as a canopy layer or emergent species of the tropical rainforest of South and South-east Asia. Mature trees can attain a height of 40 meter or more and can survive for several hundred years.

In plantations they are usually grafted onto the roots of smaller trees so that they can't grow as tall. From their branches, long stems hold clusters for fruits that can range from a few ounces to a few pounds.

Mango flesh color changes from a greenish-yellow in green fruit, to yellow and orange in more ripe fruit. Generally fruit designated to local markets or shipments by air are harvested after the color break or medium ripe.

During the ripening process, the fruit are initially acids, astringent and rich in ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

Ripe mangoes contain moderate levels of vitamin C, but are fairly rich in pro-vitamin A and vitamin B1, and B2.

Mango’s taste is sweet and a little sour, and very nourishing too. Ripe mango is an extremely tasty and nutritive fruit. A normal sized mango is more nourishing for the human body than butter or almonds.

Mango fruit contains on average 82% water, 17% carbohydrates, 0.5% proteins and 1.8% fiber.
Fruit of Mango

Eating fruits and vegetables for good vision

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables will keep eyes in good shape. Everybody have learned that the vitamin A in carrots aids night vision.

Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, mangoes , cantaloupe and apricots are all rich sources of beta carotene and therefore contribute vitamins A to the eye and to the rest of t body, eating carrots does promote good vision.

Fruits and vegetables help prevent two common aging-related eye diseases - cataract and macular degeneration - which afflict millions of Americans over age sixty-five.

People with life-long high intakes of vegetables particularly the carotenoid-rich dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and collard greens, suffer less often from macular degeneration, for example.

These vegetables are rich in certain carotenoid phytochemical that may protect the eyes from destructive disease.

Cataract is the gradual clouding of the eye's lens, a disk of protein that focuses light on the light-sensitive retina.

Macular degeneration is caused by cumulative damage to the macula, the center of the retina. It starts as a blurred spot in the center of what you see. As the degeneration spreads, vision shrinks.

The most common cause of severe vision loss among the elderly and the latest growing cause of legal blindness in US is age-related macular degeneration.

Free radicals generated by sunlight, cigarette smoke, air pollution, infection, and metabolism cause much of this damage. Dark green leafy vegetables contain two pigments, lutein and zeaxanthin that accumulate in the eye.

Lutein is a powerful antioxidant that helps to maintain good vision and helps reduce the risk of cataract and other eye problems.

These two appear to be able to snuff out free radicals before they can harm the eye's sensitive tissues.

Cataracts and macular degeneration often occur among those with low fruit and vegetable intakes.

In general, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains appears to reduce the chances of developing cataract or macular degeneration.
Eating fruits and vegetables for good vision