What are Fruits? Food Science

DEFINE: FRUIT An organ that develops from the ovary of a flowering plant and contains one or more seed OR The seed-bearing part of a plant, often edible, colorful and fragrant, produced from a floral ovary after fertilization.

WHY DO WE CONSUME FRUIT? Taste: sweet and tart Texture: Satisfies desire to chew - crisp and crunchy Nutritious!

HOW MUCH FRUIT DO WE CONSUME?! If one medium apple, orange or banana OR 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked or canned fruit OR 3/4 cup of fruit juice is one serving… Write down how much fruit you ate in the past 24 hours. Multiply that by 7. Multiply that by 52… Now multiply that number by ¼ and that is your ballpark average lbs/year. On average, Americans consume about 140 lbs of fruit per year! So, are you above or below average… ?

NUTRITIONAL VALUE IN FRUITS Fruits are generally high in fiber, water, vitamin C and sugars Most fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories. None have cholesterol. Fruits are important sources of many nutrients, including potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folate (folic acid).

NUTRITIONAL VALUE IN FRUITS… Fruits also contain various phytochemicals Research indicates these required for proper long-term cellular health and disease prevention. Regular consumption of fruit is associated with reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease (especially coronary heart disease), stroke, Alzheimer disease, cataracts, and some of the functional declines associated with aging.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE IN FRUITS… Diets that include a sufficient amount of potassium from fruits and vegetables also help reduce the chance of developing kidney stones and may help reduce the effects of bone-loss.

BE HEALTHY! FRUIT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR DIETS… The Food Pyramid suggests 2 to 4 servings of fruit each day: Choose fresh fruits, fruit juices, and frozen, canned, or dried fruit. Go easy on fruits canned or frozen in heavy syrups and sweetened fruit juices. One serving is 1 medium apple, banana, or orange, or 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit, or 3/4 cup of fruit juice. Eat whole fruits often -- they are higher in fiber than fruit juices.

DEFINE: PHYTOCHEMICALS Phytochemicals are non-nutritive plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties. They are nonessential nutrients, meaning that they are not required by the human body for sustaining life. There are more than one thousand known phytochemicals. Some of the well-known phytochemicals are lycopene in tomatoes, isoflavones in soy and flavanoids in fruits.

Be ready to share to the class in 5 minutes! CATEGORIES OF FRUIT There are 8 categories of fruit… Breakout: With your partners, research the 8 fruit types, fruit family and at least 5 examples. Be ready to share to the class in 5 minutes!

THE 8 FRUIT CATEGORIES Citrus Melons Berries Drupes Pomes Grapes Tropical Exotic

Fun Facts About Pomes and Grapes!

Apples 25 percent of an apple's volume is air. That is why they float. The pilgrims planted the first United States apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Apple trees take four to five years to produce their first fruit. Some apple trees will grown over forty feet high and live over a hundred years. October is National Apple Month. The top apple producing states are Washington, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California and Virginia. Don't peel your apple. Two-thirds of the fiber and lots of antioxidants are found in the peel

Pears Pears are a member of the rose family. Pears are a good source of vitamin C and fiber. Just one pear has 16% of the fiber your body needs for a whole day Pears ripen better off the tree and from the inside out. More than 95% of the pears sold in the United States are grown in Washington, Oregon or Northern California. Pears are available year-round. Pears cause the fewest allergic reactions of all fruits.

Grapes Concord grapes are one of only three fruits native to North America. The other two fruits are blueberries and cranberries. Some of the oldest species of grapes date back to as early as 6000 B.C.E. in the region between the Black and Caspian Sea. Grapes are grown and harvested in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America. Ninety-seven percent of the grapes consumed in the United States are grown in California. Currently there are more than 50 varieties of grapes grown in California. There is an average of 100 grapes on a bunch.

Define: POMES Tree fruits with thin skin and firm flesh surrounding a central core containing many small seeds called pips or carpels.

Berries that grow on vines in large clusters. Define: GRAPES Berries that grow on vines in large clusters.

REVIEW… WHAT ARE THE 8 FRUIT CATEGORIES? Citrus Melons Berries Drupes Pomes Grapes Tropical Exotic

Define: BERRIES Small, juicy fruits that grow on vines and bushes worldwide

Define: CITRUS Characterized by a thick rind, most of which is a bitter white pith (albedo) with a thin exterior layer of colored skin known as zest

Define: DRUPES “Stone Fruits” Characterized by a thin skin, soft flesh and one woody stone or pit

Define: EXOTIC FRUITS Various unusual fruits, usually semi-soft, grown or available in most areas in the U.S.

Define: MELONS Members of the gourd family Sweet melons have a tan, green or yellow netted or furrowed rind, and dense, fragrant flesh

Define: TROPICAL FRUITS Native to the world’s hot, tropical, or subtropical regions