September 05, 2014
August 28, 2014
August 11, 2014
January 13, 2014
Prunes and its uses
Prune
Dried Prunes |
Dried Prunes |
Dried Prune |
A prune is any of various plum cultivars,
mostly Prunus
domestica or European Plum, sold as fresh or dried fruit. The
dried fruit is also referred to as a dried
plum. In general, fresh prunes are freestone cultivars
(the pit is easy to remove), whereas most other plums grown for fresh
consumption are clingstone (the pit is more difficult to remove).
Production
More than 1,000 cultivars of
plums are grown for drying. The main cultivar grown in the U.S. is the Improved
French prune. Other varieties include Sutter, Tulare Giant, Moyer, Imperial,
Italian, and Greengage.
Fresh prunes reach the market earlier than fresh plums and are usually smaller
in size.
Branding
Due to popular perception (in the U.S.) of prunes being
used only for relief of constipation, and being the subject of related joking,
many of today's distributors have stopped using the word "prune" on
packaging labels. Their preference is to state "dried plums".
Nutritional value per
100 g (3.5 oz)
|
|
Energy
|
1,006 kJ (240 kcal)
|
Carbohydrates
|
63.88 g
|
- Sugars
|
38.13 g
|
- Dietary fiber
|
7.1 g
|
Fat
|
0.38 g
|
Protein
|
2.18 g
|
Vitamin A equiv.
|
39 μg (5%)
|
- beta-carotene
|
394 μg (4%)
|
- lutein and zeaxanthin
|
148 μg
|
Thiamine (vit. B1)
|
0.051 mg (4%)
|
Riboflavin (vit. B2)
|
0.186 mg (16%)
|
Niacin (vit. B3)
|
1.882 mg (13%)
|
Pantothenic acid (B5)
|
0.422 mg (8%)
|
Vitamin B6
|
0.205 mg (16%)
|
Folate (vit. B9)
|
4 μg (1%)
|
Choline
|
10.1 mg (2%)
|
Vitamin C
|
0.6 mg (1%)
|
Vitamin E
|
0.43 mg (3%)
|
Vitamin K
|
59.5 μg (57%)
|
Calcium
|
43 mg (4%)
|
Iron
|
0.93 mg (7%)
|
Magnesium
|
41 mg (12%)
|
Manganese
|
0.299 mg (14%)
|
Phosphorus
|
69 mg (10%)
|
Potassium
|
732 mg (16%)
|
Sodium
|
2 mg (0%)
|
Zinc
|
0.44 mg (5%)
|
Fluoride
|
4 µg
|
Prunes are used in
cooking both sweet and savory dishes. Stewed prunes, a compote, are
a dessert. Prunes are a frequent ingredient in North African tagines. Perhaps the
best-known gastronomic prunes are those of Agen (pruneaux
d'Agen). Prunes are used frequently in Tzimmes, a
traditional Jewish dish in
which the principal ingredient is diced or sliced carrots; in the Nordic prune kisel, eaten with rice pudding in the
Christmas dinner; and in the traditional Norwegian dessertfruit soup. Prunes have also been
included in other holiday dishes, such as stuffing, cake, and to make sugar plums.
Prune filled Danish pastries are popular primarily in New York and other parts
of the U.S. East Coast. Prune ice cream is popular in the Dominican Republic.
Prunes are also used to make juice. In
Cornwall, prunes were fermented to form a cider-like drink called
"jerkum". Due to the high sugar content of prunes, it was considered
particularly potent as compared to contemporary ciders and beers.
Health effects
Benefits
Prunes and their juice
contain mild laxatives including
phenolic compounds (mainly as neochlorogenic
acids and chlorogenic
acids) and sorbitol. Prunes also contain dietary fiber (about
7%, or 0.07 g per gram of prune).
Prunes and prune juice are thus common home remedies for constipation.
Prunes also have a high antioxidant content.
Disadvantages
Dried prunes have been
found to contain high doses of a chemical called acrylamide which
is a known neurotoxin and a carcinogen.[4] Acrylamide does not
occur naturally in foods but is formed during the cooking process at
temperatures > 100 °C. Although the common drying mechanism of prunes does
not involve high temperatures, formation of high amount of acrylamide has been
reported in dried prunes as well as pears.
However, although
acrylamide has known toxic effects on the nervous system and on fertility, a
June 2002 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
and the World Health Organization concluded the intake level required to
observe neuropathy (0.5 mg/kg body weight/day) was 500 times higher than
the average dietary intake of acrylamide (1 μg/kg body weight/day). For effects
on fertility, the level is 2,000 times higher than the average intake. From this, they
concluded acrylamide levels in food were safe in terms of neuropathy, but
raised concerns over human carcinogenicity based on known carcinogenicity in
laboratory animals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)