Nutritional Significance

Nutritional Significance

    The importance of fruits in providing valuable nutrients, particularly vitamins and minerals in human diet is well known, and according to dietary standards an individual must consume 85g fruits/day. After writing off 20 to 25 percent as post harvest losses and inedible portion of the fruits, the availability is estimated at 46 g/day, which is one of the lowest in the world.
    • To bridge this gap of demand and supply the production will have to be raised through increasing orchard efficiency and by bringing more area under fruit crops.
    • People inhibiting in dry land areas are known to suffer from a number of nutritional disorders owing to lower intake of protective foods like fruits & vegetables. Growth of fruit industry in such areas shall definitely increase their intake and helps in improving health hazards.
    • Nutritionally arid/arid fruit crops are highly significant and comparable with major crops. Following are the mineral composition of different minor/arid fruit crops.
    Nutritional value of arid fruits/100g edible portion.

    Sl. No.

    Fruit crops

    Calories

    P (%)

    Ca (%)

    Fe (%)

    Vit A (IU)

    Thiamine (mg)

    Vit.C (mg)

    1

    Aonla/Amla

    59

    0.02

    0.05

    1.2

    -

    30

    600

    2

    Bael

    23

    0.01

    0.09

    0.6

    240

    -

    -

    3

    Ber

    129

    0.05

    0.03

    0.3

    186

    12

    15

    4

    Bullocks heart

    91

    0.01

    0.01

    0.6

    Trace

    -

    -

    5

    Custard apple

    105

    0.04

    0.02

    1.0

    Trace

    -

    -

    6

    Dates

    283

    0.08

    0.07

    10.6

    600

    90

    Trace

    7

    Fig

    75

    0.03

    0.06

    1.2

    270

    -

    -

    8

    Jamun

    83

    0.01

    0.02

    1.0

    -

    -

    -

    9

    Karonda

    364

    0.06

    0.16

    39.1

    -

    -

    200-550

    10

    Pomegranate

    65

    0.07

    0.01

    0.3

    -

    -

    16

    11

    Rose apple

    43

    0.03

    0.01

    0.5

    -

    -

    -

    12

    Wood apple

    97

    0.11

    0.13

    0.6

    -

    -

    -

Last modified: Thursday, 3 May 2012, 4:45 AM