Fruit and nuts

Nutritive Value of Nuts Protein: Good source of LBV protein  Fat: High in polyunsaturated fats therefore high in calories  Carbohydrates: Good source cellulose especially peanuts & ha

Fruit and Nuts

© PDST Home Economics

 A fruit of a plant that consists of a hard shell

surrounding a soft kernel

 Popular examples: Almonds, Brazil nuts, Cashew nuts, Coconuts, Hazelnuts, Pecans, Pistachio nuts, Peanuts (ground nuts/ monkey nuts), Walnuts

Nuts

Nutritive Value of Nuts

 Protein: Good source of LBV protein

 Fat: High in polyunsaturated fats therefore high in calories

 Carbohydrates: Good source cellulose especially

peanuts & hazelnuts

 Vitamins: Small amount vitamins B

 Minerals: Contain Iron and Calcium

 Water: Low about 5%

% Composition of 100g of

Peanuts

 Protein: 28.1%

 Fat: 49%

 Carbohydrates: 8.6% fibre

 Vitamins: B1 (0.23mg), B2 (0.10mg), Niacin (20mg)

 Minerals: Calcium (61mg, RDA 800mg), (Iron 2mg, RDA 10mg)

 Water: 5%

 Kilocalories per 100g: 586

Dietetic Value of Nuts

 Can function as a source of protein in a main course vegan dish

 Add texture & variety to meals

 Can be used in sweet & savoury dishes

 Keep well, easy to store

 Available whole, flaked, chopped, ground

 High in calories must be restricted in low calorie diets

 Some people are allergic to nuts and must avoid

them

Uses in Cookery

 Vegan main course e.g nut loaf or vegetable and nut stir fry

 Ingredient in many biscuits, cakes, sweets, desserts e.g pear & almond tart

 Used in salads to add protein, fat, texture e.g waldorf salad

 Toppings sprinkled on desserts e.g flaked almonds on top of strudle

 Healthy snack or part of packed lunch e.g cashew nuts

 Almond paste (marzipan) icing on cakes or used for

sweets

 Eaten for vitamins especially vitamin C, minerals, antioxidants, fibre, water, colour, flavour texture

Classification of Fruit

fruit

Lemons

Oranges

Limes

Grapefruit

Plums Apricot Peaches Nectarines Cherries Mango

**Avocados

**Olives

Blackberries Strawberries Blueberries Raspberries Gooseberries Blackcurrants

Banana Pineapple Grapes Figs Dates Kiwi Rhubarb

Average Composition of Fresh

Fruit

Protein Fat

Carbo-hydrates

Vitamins Minerals Water

0.5% 0% 5-10% A, C Calcium

Iron

80-90%

Nutritive Value of Fruit

 Protein: Fruit lacks protein

 Fat: Fruit lacks fat except for avocados and olives

 Carbohydrates: Sugar is in all fruit in the form of

sucrose, glucose and fructose Starch is found in under-ripe fruit Pectin is found in under-ripe fruit cell walls Cellulose (fibre) is found in the cell walls also especially pears,

apples, oranges, melons

 Vitamins: All fruit has vitamin C especially

blackcurrants, strawberries, citrus and kiwi

Yellow/orange/red fruit has beta carotene (pro vitamin A)

 Minerals: Small amount iron and calcium Bananas good for Potassium

 Water: All fruit has high water content

Dietetic Value of Fruit

 Add greatly to the variety of colours, flavours and

textures in the diet

 Useful in low calorie diets, low cholesterol and high

fibre diets because high in water & fibre and low in fat

 Anti-oxidants vitamin C and beta carotene help prevent heart disease, cancer etc

 Can be eaten raw or cooked in a wide variety of sweet and savoury dishes

 Healthy snack, cheap and needs no preparation except washing and perhaps peeling

Buying & Storing Fruit

Buying

 In season

 Usable amount

 Good quality, ripe

 Avoid pre-packed

 Firm, good colour, no

discolouration or mould

Storing

 Cool, dark, ventilated place

 Use quickly

 Remove packaging

 Remove spoiled or damaged fruit

Preparing and effects of cooking

Preparing

 Wash to remove

chemicals

 Eat raw when possible

 Don’t peel or peel thinly

 Avoid steeping in water

 Use sharp stainless steel

knife

Effects of Cooking

 Vitamin C destroyed

 Minerals and vitamins dissolve into coking liquid

 Cellulose & texture softens

 Microbes killed

 Enzymes destroyed

 Absorb water and swell

 Over cooking causes loss of colour, texture flavour

Ripening of Fruit

 Ripening begins during growth and continues after

harvesting

 Unripe fruit is less palatable than ripe

Changes that happen during ripening:

1 Enzymes change starch to sugar making fruit sweet

and juicy

2 Insoluble pectose changes to soluble pectin

3 Ethylene gas that helps ripening is made in some fruit

(bananas)

4 Fruit changes colour, texture and flavour

Decaying of Fruit

 Once ripe, fruit only stays good for a while, then it

decays

 Softer fruit with thin skin e.g grapes, decay faster

than hard fruit with tougher skin e.g pears

Changes during decay:

1 Water loss and shrinkage

2 Bruises & soft spots develop

3 Enzymes and microbes attack the fruit

4 Juices released onto surface make mould and yeast

grow, these rot the fruit

Processing Fruit

Apples Rhubarb

Enzymes & microbes inactivated Texture changes – ice crystals Not much change to food value, colour, texture

Peaches Mandarines Pineapple

Change in colour flavour texture Loss of vitamin C

Enzymes & microbes destroyed

If canned in syrup, higher in sugar and calories

Prunes Figs Currents

Loss of water and vitamins Enzymes and microbes destroyed Texture, colour and taste changes Higher in sugar due to less water Irradiation

not allowed in

EU

Dried fruit Rhubarb

Microbes and enzymes destroyed Prevents sprouting and decay

Resembles fresh fruit, some vit loss

Organic Produce

 Grown without use of chemical fertilisers or pesticides

or preservatives

 In Ireland 320 organic fruit & vegetable growers

 Increase demand due to awareness of dangers of overuse

of chemicals

 Organic farming less intensive and must comply with

rules on fertilisers, pest, weed and disease control

 Organic certificate can only be got from 3 agencies

recognise by Dept of Agriculture:

1 The Irish Organic farmers and growers association

2 Organic Trust Ltd

3 Demeter Standards (Biodynamic Agriculture Association)

 Organic products will carry the symbol of one of these associations

 Because organic farming is more labour intensive and has lower yields products are more expensive

Symbols of Organic Certification Organisations