When apricots are bruised, cells are broken, releasing the enzyme so that brown spots form under the bruise. Avoid apricots that are hard or mushy or withered. All are less flavorsome than ripe, firm apricots, and the withered ones will decay quickly. Also avoid greenish apricots as they are low in carotenes and will never ripen satisfactorily at home.
Always try to store ripe apricots in the refrigerator and use them within a few days. Apricots do not lose their vitamin A in storage, but they are very perishable and rot fairly quickly.
When you peel or slice an apricot, you tear its cells walls, releasing polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that reacts with phenols in the apricots, producing brown compounds that darken the fruit. Acids inactivate polyphenoloxidase, so you can slow down this reaction (but do not stop it completely) by dipping raw sliced and/or peeled apricots into a solution of lemon juice or vinegar and water or by mixing them with citrus fruits in a fruit salad. Polyphenoloxidase also works more slowly in the cold, but storing peeled apricots in the refrigerator is much less effective than an acid bath.
To peel apricots easily, drop them into boiling water for a minute or two, then lift them out with a slotted spoon and plunge them into cold water. As with tomatoes, this works because the change in temperature damages a layer of cells under the skin so the skin slips off easily.
If you are wondering what actually happened when you cook apricots, cooking dissolves pectin, the primary fiber in apricots, and softens the fruit. But it does not change the color or lower the vitamin A content because carotenes are impervious to the heat of normal cooking.
About the Author: Cindy is the host of http://www.asianonlinerecipes.com, a Free Asian Recipes website dedicated to all things on Asian Cooking.
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About How Processing Affect Apricots
By Cindy
Ninety-eight percent of all juices, including apricot juices, sold in the United States are pasteurized to stop the natural enzyme action that would otherwise turn sugars to alcohols. Pasteurization also protects juices from potentially harmful bacterial and mold contamination. Following several deaths attributed to unpasteurized apple juices that contain E.coli, the FDA ruled that all fruit and vegetable juices must carry a warning label telling you whether the juice has been pasteurized. By the end of the year 2000, all juices must be processed to remove or inactivate harmful bacteria.
Five pounds of fresh apricots produce only a pound of dried apricots. Drying remove the water, not nutrients. Ounce for ounce, dried apricots have twelve times the iron, seven times the fiber, and five times the vitamin A of the fresh fruit. Three and a half ounces of dried apricots provide 12,700 IU of vitamin A, two and a half times the full daily requirements for a healthy adult man, and 6.3 mg of iron, one-third the daily requirement for an adult woman. In some studies with laboratory animals, dried apricots have been as effective as liver, kidneys, and eggs in treating iron-deficiency anemia.
To keep them from turning brown as they dry, apricots may be treated with sulfur dioxide. This chemical may cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock, in people who are sensitive to sulfites. Apricots can also be found in medical uses. They are used in lowering the risk of some cancers. According to the American Cancer Society, apricots and other foods rich in beta-carotene may lower the risk of cancers of the larynx, esophagus, and lungs. Although this remains unproven, the ACS recommends adding apricots to your diet. There is no such benefit from beta-carotene supplements. On the contrary, one controversial study actually showed a higher rate of lung cancer among smokers taking the supplement.
About the Author: Cindy is the host of http://www.asianonlinerecipes.com, a Free Asian Recipes website dedicated to all things on Asian Cooking and Culinary Guide.
She is also the host for http://www.vietnamese-recipes.com and http://www.making-coffee.com
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