Pomology/Fruit and its importance

Part of the Department of Pomology, Tropical and Subtropical Pomology I.
 * Last lesson: Introduction and data sources
 * Next lesson: Methods of propagations and treatments to fruit crops

This lesson is in preparation --Juan 18:19, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Fruits and their importance
The dried fruit of Berberis vulgaris (barberry) is used in herbal medicine. The chemical constituents include isoquinolone alkaloids, especially berberine, with a full list of phytochemicals compiled.

"Carotenoids, which are generally present in leaf, flower, fruit, and shoot of plants, play an important role in the stabilization of lipid membranes, the photosynthesis, and the protecion against strong radiation and photooxidative processes. Experiments with coffee species also showed that the transcript levels of enzymes involved in the synthesis of carotenoids increased under stress conditions [34]."

"Coffee seeds are rich in biologically active substances and polyphenols such as kaempherol, quercetin, ferulic, sinapic, nicotinic, quinolic, tannic, and pyrogallic acids which possess antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and hypolipidaemic effects [41], [42], [43], [44], [45], [46], [47], [48], [49]. Besides the cis-isomers of chlorogenic acid in Arabic coffee [50], caffeic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric, ferulic, and sinapic acids, as well as rutin, quercetin, kaempferol, and isoquercitrine were detected in its fruit and that of Bengal coffee [51]."

Fennel is widely cultivated, both in its native range and elsewhere, for its edible, strongly flavored leaves and fruits. Its aniseed or liquorice flavor comes from anethole, an aromatic compound also found in anise and star anise, and its taste and aroma are similar to theirs, though usually not as strong.

The aromatic character of fennel fruits derives from essential oil (volatile oils) imparting mixed aromas, including trans-anethole and estragole (resembling liquorice), fenchone (mint and camphor), limonene, 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom). Other phytochemicals found in fennel fruits include polyphenols, such as rosmarinic acid and luteolin, among others in minor content.

Prunus cerasus (sour cherry, tart cherry, or dwarf cherry ) a species of Prunus in the subgenus ''Prunus subg. Cerasus (cherries), native to much of Europe and southwest Asia is closely related to the sweet cherry (Prunus avium''), but has a fruit that is more acidic. Its sour pulp is edible.

Theme Discussion
If you are interested in a theme streaming from this lesson and would like to discuss it with the community add a subparagraph: