Saturday, April 9, 2011

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

Author: Rumen Conev PhD

Apricot is a fruit that has been known to humans for thousands of years. During archeological excavations in the antique Armenian town Shenchovit near Yerevan, apricot pits were found in layers dating back to over 6000 B.C. The first written mention of apricot, however, is in a Chinese letter more than 4000 years old.

Common apricot – Prunus armeniaca L. (Armeniaca vulgaris Lam.) originated as a species in the high mountainous region of Hindu Kush – Tien Shan in Central Asia, where the borders of China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan meet nowadays. Natural forests or single very old apricot trees can also still be found in North-East China and Caucasus. The ancient Tajiks from Sogdain were most likely the ones who first domesticated this fruit tree. Apricot was their only source of sugar, so during the centuries they have developed state-of-the-art selection and created cultivars such as Ameri and Hodjendi, the dried product of which has up to 85% sugar content.

It is a well known fact to gerontologists that the Hunza people, who inhabit the high mountains of North Pakistan not far from the center of the genesis of common apricot, are the longest-living and healthiest people in the world. According to the researchers and medical doctors who studied Hunzas in their natural habitat during the 1950’s and 60’s, 100% of its population had perfect vision, while cancer, coronary heart diseases, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and even appendicitis and gout were unknown conditions. Century old Hunza women and men are able to enjoy life in its full extent. You probably wonder what these people eat that makes them so strong, active and healthy at an age of 100 or even 120. Surprisingly enough nothing very exotic is found in their quite ordinary food. The only part that totally differs from the west diet traditions is that Hunza people do not consume animal fats. Their diet is rich all year round in fresh or dried fruit and nuts, especially apricots and apricot kernels, and their primary source of oil is apricot seeds. Apricot is such an important component of Hunza life that actually in their valley the wealth of a person is measured by the number of apricot trees owned.

Apricot kernels contain an average of 21% proteins and 52% vegetable oils, and are widely used as a substitute of almonds in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Apricot seeds, because of their remarkably high content of amygdalin, are a source of vitamin B17 and utilized in alternative medicine for cancer therapy. It has to be underlined, however, that the seeds must be baked prior to direct consumption, since apricot kernels can be poisonous if ingested raw in large quantities. Aside from the potential anti-cancer properties of apricot seeds, the fruit itself is a small natural drug-store as well. The American Cancer Society states that apricots, and other foods rich in carotenes, may lower the risk of cancers of the larynx, esophagus and lungs. Just a handful of apricots contains 100 % of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Beta-carotene – a powerful antioxidant that our body transforms into Vitamin A. It prevents plaque-deposits from building up in the arteries, helps to strengthen our immune systems and is beneficial to eyes, skin, hair, gums and various glands. The cobalt and copper found in apricots, and especially their high iron content are beneficial in fighting anemia, and make this fruit an irreplaceable ingredient of many baby foods. Apricots are also an excellent source of potassium, and it has been clinically shown, that fresh and dried fruit, as well as nectars are all good alternatives to chemical diuretics. Apricot and apricot products help to maintain body fluid balance by normalizing blood pressure and heart function. Boron, which apricots are also rich in, has lately been identified as one of the main factors for the prevention of osteoporosis, by helping post-menopausal women retain their estrogen levels. The almost endless list of the amazing nutritional and medicinal properties of apricot fruits and kernels can go on and on. It is not surprising that dried apricots being compact, balanced and rich in minerals, macro and microelements were the NASA’s number one choice as astronauts’ provision.

Undoubtedly apricots are an extremely healthy food for every age, but they also need to be tasty in order to keep consumers interested in making them a consistent component of their diets. Apricots, unlike many other fruit species, are not able to develop their organoleptic characteristics once harvested. The only apricots that we can find in Ontario supermarkets are picked, stored and shipped from either California or Chile well before they become available on the market. Implementation of the contemporary post-harvest technologies can to a certain extent preserve their appearance, but it cannot "pump" them with all the juiciness, sweetness and aroma that only a tree-ripe fruit can develop. Unfortunately, there is a tendency of decreased apricot production in Ontario in the last decade, which makes it increasingly difficult for local consumers to find fresh, flavourful domestically grown fruit. It is something worth thinking about.

No comments:

Post a Comment