ATEMOYA: atis x cherimoya

The atemoya is a tropical fruit that is produced from the atemoya tree, which is a medium sized tree that also bears flowers. Atemoya trees and fruits are native to South America, however, they are also found in the West Indies and in Florida, USA. The atemoya is a cross between the tropical fruits cherimoya (Annona cherimola) and sugar apple (Annona squamosa), the latter of which the atemoya resembles in appearance. Because the atemoya is a hybrid fruit, its seeds are not used for its reproduction. Instead, grafting occurs. Additionally, this crossing of two other fruit types to produce the atemoya has resulted in a hearty and unique fruit.

An atemoya fruit is oval or round in shape, is sized from 3 to 5 inches in length, and can weigh anywhere from .50 to 1 lbs. Its outer skin can be smooth or lumpy but is always light green, or green and yellow in color. Inside the atemoya fruit, white flesh that resembles pudding can be found. Additionally, within this creamy flesh approximately thirty or more large and dark colored pits can be found. Atemoya fruit has a sweet taste that is similar to a "fruity vanilla". Because of this, the flesh of the atemoya fruit is typically used as an ingredient in desserts, including ice creams. Atemoya fruit is also popular when eaten raw with its flesh scooped out, then chilled and served.

Atemoya fruits can be purchased from August through September in some larger supermarket chains or wherever tropical fruits can be found. When purchasing an atemoya fruit, make sure that the fruit is free of any bruises or other defects. Additionally, select atemoya fruits that are slightly soft to the touch. A slightly soft atemoya indicates that the fruit is in a semi-ripened state, which is preferable because you can store the fruit at room temperature in your home for a longer period of time if the fruit is not fully ripened. By squeezing the fruit gently you can determine when an atemoya fruit is fully ripened. If the fruit yields easily to your touch, it is fully ripened. Once atemoya fruit is fully ripened, you can store it in your home for up to five days provided that you store it in your refrigerator.

Although the atemoya fruit has an appealing, sweet taste, it can also provide a healthy addition to your daily diet. This is because atemoya fruits are low in fat and contain no cholesterol. Additionally, they provide an excellent source of potassium and of vitamin C. Using atemoya fruit as a dessert, or in dessert recipes, allows you to enjoy a nutritious alternative to less healthy and more caloric after dinner or between meal treats.

The atemoya fruit is an incredibly versatile and robust fruit. Because of this, it is an excellent fruit to ship to friends and family who live in diverse geographical locations. Additionally, by shipping the fruit to others they too can come to understand what an atemoya is, how it can be used, and why it has been popular in certain tropical regions for so many years.

reposted from: www.essortment.com

photo from tradewindsfruit.com

Experts say Bignay wine surely good for the heart

bignay

Bignay is an indigenous fruit to southeastern Asia and is common and widely distributed in open places and second-growth forests throughout the Philippines. This local fruit, which is rarely cultivated is nowhere grown on a large scale. The fruits are seldom utilized but may be eaten out of hand or made into jams and jelly or used in the preparation of various dishes as substitute for tomato or vinegar. The fruits are also now utilized for the production of excellent tropical fruit wines. Experts had discovered the benefits from drinking bignay wine. Read this article originally posted at mb.com.ph to know more about the bignay wine's hearty goodness.

MANILA, Philippines — Make no bones about it. Bignay wine is good for your heart.

This counsel comes not from an oenologist but from a dyed-in-the wool scientist from UP Los Baños commissioned by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) to prove that local fruits can give French vintners a run for their money.

Dr. Erlinda Dizon from the Food Science Cluster of the UP College of Agriculture is working on ways to develop local fruits into commercially viable products and she has tapped bignay (Antidesma bunius L.) as a top candidate to battle cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz and other varietals.

Bignay is not a berry but comes from the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) and is an ovoid-shaped fruit clustered together in a bunch. It is native to the Philippines and often grows in the mountains with a tropical climate.

Each bunch consists of 30-40 fruits that become colorful due to their uneven ripening. Some are pale yellowish-green, pale yellow, bright red and/or dark red, nearly black when ripe. Fruits are harvested from June to September.

Bignay wine phytochemicals and flavonoids, including catechin, proyanidins, B1 and B2.

A study suggests that the fruits of bignay possibly contain compounds with potential cytotoxic activity and methanolic properties.

Yet, the most interesting thing is that drinking bignay wine is said to reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease due to its antioxidant properties.

The alcohol content prevents the deposition of fats inside the arteries, reducing the incidence of atherosclerosis or arteriosclerotic vascular disease (or ASVD) which is a condition in which an artery wall thickens as the result of a build-up of fatty materials such as cholesterol.

It was also reported that it can reduce cancer cells.

Dr. Dizon also revealed that there are a lot of benefits from drinking bignay wine. She advised to drink red wine during meal times, just like the French, because it can aid in the digestion of food.

Other benefits from consuming wines, specifically, red wines, is that it can treat anorexia nervosa (loss of appetite). The alcohol in red wine can stimulate gastric juice secretion and, hence, can stimulate the appetite. It also works against food poisoning since alcohol can wipe out bacteria in the stomach thus, preventing their proliferation and possible gastroenteritis.

“There is a large volume of wine importation from other countries. Getting a share of the market for wines would help our farmers and the local food industries if we could just make our own wine using our home-grown fruits,” Dr. Dizon explained.

This idea was realized in 2008 through a project titled, “Technology Commercialization and Packaging of Wine from Selected Local Fruits” with funding support from BAR through its National Technology Commercialization Program (NTCP).

The project sought to showcase appropriately packaged and quality wine from selected fruits and, eventually, to expand the market for fruit wines.

With results from previous studies on wine-making, Dr. Dizon hoped to revalidate the processing parameters to produce quality wine from the laboratory scale to commercial scale production and also to improve the packaging of the products.

“We aimed to establish the quality assurance system like the HACCP, GMP, and SSOP for wine processing, evaluate the marketability and profitability of production system, and enhance the capability of the technology adopters,” she said.

“Way back in 1983, we had already screened almost all of the local fruits and looked at their potentials for wine-making. Majority of them were excellent and suitable for wine-making. In fact, some are way better compared to grapes in terms of flavor and aroma. Out of those 30 different fruits that we screened, bignay, duhat, and Carabao mango turned out to be excellent substrates for wine processing. Bignay and duhat represents red wine and mango, which is known worldwide for its sweet taste and good aroma, for the white wine,” she said.

mb.com.ph article authored by: Marvyn N. Benaning

Do you know your banana cultivars?

There are many banana cultivars grown in the Philippines and whenever we encounter bananas in the marketplace, we always keep on asking what banana cultivar we are buying. It is time for us to learn more about the bananas we commonly find in the market so we can distinguish one from the other.

'CAVENDISH'

This is the usual banana for export. This banana cultivar is widely grown in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia and constitute the bulk of dessert bananas on the shelves of Western supermarkets. The fruit has a greenish-yellow peel when ripen under normal temperature. The pulp is white to cream, soft, fine-textured, and sweet.

'LAKATAN'

The 'Lakatan' cultivar is the typical bananas we found in the market for dessert. It has an attractive golden yellow color when ripe. The skin can be removed easily with some rags sticking to the pulp, revealing a light orange to orange pulp. The cultivar has a very aromatic and excellent flavor. Fruit size ranges from 10 to 20 cm in length.

'LATUNDAN'

This cultivar has a small to medium-size (10-15 cm in length) fruit, usually smaller than the 'Lakatan'. It is also common in the market and even in small fruit stands and store. The fruit is sweet with a mild sub-acid taste, fine texture and a delicious pleasant flavor. The fruit has also a yellow peel when ripe but its white pulp color distinguishes it from 'Lakatan' (light orange pulp).

'BUNGULAN'

The cultivar has a distinctly light green to greenish-yellow fruit peel when ripe. The pulp is white to cream, soft, fine-textured and sweet. Its fruit is about 15 to 25 cm in length with a diameter ranging from 2 to 2.5 cm and usually smaller than the 'Cavendish' variety.

'SABA'

If you like banana chips, then you should be familiar with this cultivar which is the one usually used to prepare this crunchy snack. 'Saba' is the cultivar used for cooking. The fruit is large and angular even when ripe. It has a white pulp which is sweet when ripe although very starchy. 'Banana cue' everyone?

source: The Philippine Recommends for Banana (PCARRD Technical Bulletin 65)

photos from primer.ph and alibaba.com

Dried banana fritters

Ingredients

Dried banana slices (100 g)

Egg yolk (1 pc)

Sugar, granulated (6.5 g)

Salt (1 g)

Oil for frying

1. Cover dried banana slices with water.

2. Soak for 1 to 2 hours then drain.

3. In another bowl, beat egg yolk.

4. Add flour, salt, water, banana, and sugar.

5. Beat until thick.

6. Fry by tablespoonfuls until golden brown.

source: The Philippines Recommends for Banana (PCARRD Technical Bulletin Series 65)
photo from: www.livestrong.com

Pointers on growing Rambutan

Rambutan is a popular garden fruit tree and propagated commercially in small orchards. It is one of the best known fruits of Southeast Asia and is also widely cultivated elsewhere in the tropics including Africa, the Caribbean islands, Central America, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. It's fruit has a sweet and mildly acidic flavor make it a suitable fruit for consumption. If you are planning to grow rambutan in your home yard or farm, try to consider these pointers posted by mb.com.ph agriculture section.

Rambutan is one good crop to grow for a number of good reasons, whether in the backyard or in a plantation. For one, rambutan will most likely bear fruit every year without much intervention once it has attained fruiting age. Of course, the trees have to be adequately fertilized and other simple requirements are also provided.

Rambutan can be grown in most places in the Philippines, including in the Ilocos where there is a distinct wet and dry season. One retired judge in Ilocos Sur has been harvesting a lot of fruits every year from his four-hectare rambutan plantation.

Here are some important pointers on growing this exotic fruit tree. One is to plant the right variety. There are many varieties of rambutan but not all of them are recommended. Among those which produce good quality fruits are R-5, Super Red, Rongrein, Jetli, R-162 and some others. Maharlika is an old variety but is not as good as the newer ones and has a lower price in the market.

The planting distance is also important. On farms with rich soil, the distance of planting should be at least 10 meters apart. If the soil is poor, the distance between trees could be 8 meters apart.

How do you take care of the juvenile plants? Planting is best done at the start of the rainy season. However, planting could be done anytime of the year for as long as the trees are provided with adequate moisture during the dry months. Grafted seedlings that are two to three feet tall are usually used for planting.

Monitor the growth of young trees. If the weather is too hot, provide some shade (like coconut fronds) so the plant will not get scorched. Apply organic fertilizer, about a kilo per tree every two months. Also, apply chemical fertilizer every two months at the rate of 150 grams per tree or thereabouts. You can alternate applying urea and complete fertilizer. Watch for insect damage. Insects might feed on the new leaves. Aphids and other pests could be easily controlled by spraying with common insecticides.

It is best to have fruiting trees that are low-growing (about five meters tall) with spreading branches. This can be achieved by cutting the lead trunk and developing the lateral branches. This is best done when the trees are properly distanced. In pruning, cut the weak branches.

Fertilize the trees with both organic and chemical fertilizers. The organic fertilizer may be the processed kind or composted chicken manure, or some other manures. At the beginning of the rainy season, spread a sackful of manure under the canopy of the trees. Repeat this six months later. The chemical fertilizer may be applied every three months, the amount depending on the size of the trees. Two kilos may be applied per tree each time. Organic foliar fertilizer (balanced, complete formulation) may be sprayed on the leaves every month.

During the dry months, make sure that the trees don’t suffer from drought. During the rainy season, on the other hand, make sure that the plantation is properly drained.

Soursop for cancer: Can it be another miracle?

Soursop, Annona muricata Linn., belongs to the family Annonaceae (the family includes atis or sugarapple, cherimoya and atemoya, which is a hybrid between atis and cherimoya). This is also called guayabano, guanabana and graviola. The soursop, a native of the West Indies in tropical America, is a small tree with dark-green fruits with leathery-appearing skin studded with widely spaced soft spines. The flesh is creamy white, soft, fibrous and very juicy with its subacid taste.

The ripe fruit of the soursop is usually eaten fresh as a dessert and is a good source of vitamins B and C. Meanwhile, the fruit juice can be made into ice cream or sherbet with the addition of sugar and can also be made into a refreshing drink. Various parts of the soursop has also some medicinal uses and can be a remedy for gall bladder infection, coughs, diarrhea and indigestion.


In the past few years, research results from laboratory studies showed that soursop extracts can kill certain cancer cells.  As reported in vine-uk.org, laboratory tests since the '70s have shown that  the soursop extracts effectively target and kill malignant cells in 12 types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer. The tree compounds were proved to be up to 10,000 times stronger in slowing the growth of cancer cells than Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug. These findings suggest that an all-natural therapy is possible without causing extreme nausea, weight loss and hair loss. Unlike chemotherapy, the compound extracted from the Graviola tree selectively hunts down and kills only cancer cells. It does not harm healthy cells. It was also indicated that during the treatment, patients can feel healthier and stronger as it boosts your energy and protect the immune system against deadly infections.

It could be another breakthrough in medicine if the laboratory researches about the soursop's cancer-fighting abilities will be proven as effective. However, if one would choose to undergo an alternative therapy against cancer, an advise from medical and cancer professionals should first be taken into consideration. 

We know that nature never fails to surprise us and the discovery of the soursop's ability to fight one of the most deadly disease in our times is just another ray of light we have been waiting for,  hoping that it will be another miracle for mankind.

photos from germanlipa.de and nouveauafricana.com

Nature's Wonder: The Miracle Fruit

One proof of the wonders of nature is the aptly called miracle fruit  also known as the magic or miracle berry. Synsepalum dulcificum as it was dubbed in the scientific world, this miracle berry trace its roots from tropical West Africa. This small ellipsoid berry has red color when ripe and was borne by a small shrub under the family Sapotaceae (the family of other tropical fruits such as sapodilla, abiu, canistel and star apple). This wonder fruit has taste-changing properties which can modify the taste of sour foods, making it sweet to the tongue and was also claimed to make unsavory-tasting foods delicious and pleasing to the taste buds. By just popping and chewing the fruit's fleshy pulp prior to eating or drinking, one will experience how a sour food will change into a sweet delight. The effect would last for minutes or hours depending on how well the pulp has coated the taste buds.  The taste-modifying properties of the miracle fruit led to several groups experimenting on various food and drinks and what do they taste like after chewing the miracle berry. This is what they called flavor tripping. After chewing the miracle berry,  many flavor trippers tasted citrus as candy, vinegars like apple juice, sharp cheeses as cheesecake and beer like milkshake.

If you wonder what makes the sour food taste sweet, then you can blame it to the glycoprotein called 'miraculin.' This  taste-modifying protein is a component of the pulp of the miracle fruit which when coat the taste buds will alter the way it perceives sourness, thereby making a sour food tastes sweet.

The miracle fruit has a great potential as a sweetener for diabetics. One medical research done in Taiwan showed that the fruit may be used as adjuvant for treating diabetic patients with insulin resistance because of its ability to improve insulin sensitivity. The berry has also a promise for cancer patients which undergo chemotherapy by increasing their appetite  since miracle fruit intake has been shown to reduce, if not eliminate the metallic taste in the food that they eat.

There is no secret in propagating the miracle fruit. The plant can be propagated by seeds, rooted stem cuttings, and through marcotting. It adapts well to tropical climates and favors acidic soil. Growing the plant only requires organic and commercial fertilizers, and none of insecticides or herbicides. The plant is watered only when necessary, using a power sprayer with a two-inch duct hose.


The plant is pruned regularly to increase light use and to control pests, improve fruit quality and increase yield. The fruits, which are borne in clusters, ripen two months after setting. Fruiting peaks from March to May and, in less quantity, from December to February.

With all these, it is just rightful for this amazing berry to be called a nature's wonder - a real miracle!

with information and photos from www.gayot.com and http://www.rdenews.uplb.edu.ph/