Author Topic: Using fruit as a sweetener  (Read 6962 times)

Sanddollarmoon

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Using fruit as a sweetener
« on: August 07, 2013, 12:55:41 PM »
Could this plant, the guajilote, a.k.a the candle tree (parmentiera edulis), make for a good sugar replacement? This plant of the Bignoniacea (trumpet flower, sausage fruit) family, has a fruit 6-12" long and 1-2" wide, which is described as having a taste reminiscent of sweet peppers and sugarcane. It has a very high sugar content, which is fermentable, and when the dried fruit is ground, can be used just like sugar. It has been in a number of scientific studies and lowers blood sugar as it has a low glycemic index. So perhaps it is more than a sugar replacement, it is actually good for you. It can also be pickled. It is thought that it was the food of the giant sloth, as the seeds grow best when the whole fruit is ingested, but even without the extinct sloth, the plant can be very weedy. The blooms are large, pink and white to green, with a trumpet-like shape and are cauliflory, growing from the rough and lightly colored bark. The leaves are serrated and lobed, with the plus of being evergreen. The seeds are flat, and seed leaves are heart shaped, like a radish. The plants are hardy to 32 degrees fahrenhight for a brief period of time, but can only stand 40 degree for extended periods of time. The like lots of water, full sun, and can grow up to 30 feet, although usually staying 10-15 feet, feet with proper trimming, and does good in a container.
« Last Edit: December 28, 2015, 02:27:22 PM by Sanddollarmoon »

Tropicdude

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Re: The fruit that makes your food sweeter...
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2013, 01:21:04 PM »
Once while visiting the local Chinatown area, I came across some funny dried looking fruit. they seemed hollow.  I asked the vendor what they were used for, and she told me they were used to sweeten teas and things like that.

I then looked it up online, they are called Luo Han Guo  or Siraitia grosvenori,( aka Momordica grosvenori )

Health Benifits
Quote
Luohanguo has been used as a medicinal herb for treating cough and sore throat and is popularly considered, in southern China, to be a longevity aid. Its nature is cool, and it has no poison. The fruit helps relieve sunstroke, moistens the lungs, eliminates phlegm, stops cough, and promotes bowel movements.
Recent work on luohanguo includes investigation of the antioxidant activity of the mogrosides and their potential use as cancer prevention compounds. This suggested effect is based on the understanding that antioxidants can produce significant reversal or suppression of the early stage of cancer development, which has been an area of particular interest for tea drinking.
Further, luohanguo and its sweetening component are often mentioned in relation to diabetes and obesity, because it can substitute for caloric sugars normally consumed in the diet.

Of course one could also grow Stevia.  which I find has the similar "metallic" aftertaste as the above gourd, but I use it to sweeten teas.
William
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Sanddollarmoon

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2013, 01:25:21 PM »
Yes, I have noticed the metallic aftertaste of stevia... What is the chemical responsible?
« Last Edit: August 26, 2013, 08:40:03 PM by Sanddollarmoon »

shaneatwell

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Re: The fruit that makes your food sweeter...
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2013, 02:48:26 PM »
An interesting read that mentions your parmentiera:

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/plmay99.htm

Shane

Sanddollarmoon

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2013, 02:51:35 PM »
Very interesting! Thanks, Shane!
« Last Edit: August 26, 2013, 08:38:55 PM by Sanddollarmoon »

shaneatwell

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Re: The fruit that makes your food sweeter...
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2013, 02:58:34 PM »
Tempted to plant it myself. Any idea how quickly it grows? Where'd you get your seeds
?
Shane

Tomas

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Re: The fruit that makes your food sweeter...
« Reply #6 on: August 07, 2013, 03:15:23 PM »
Hi,

How about Pentadiplandra brazzeana (Oubli)? It's a monoecious bush that will fruit in only 1-3 years. The red pulp of the fruts is eaten as a sweet snack, or sometimes used to sweeten food. It has no aftertaste, like Thaumatococcus daniellii. The fruit of Pentadiplandra brazzeana contains a heat-stable protein Brazzein that's about 1000 sweeter than sugar. The only problem is to find seeds. I have tried for many years.

Tomas

Sanddollarmoon

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #7 on: August 07, 2013, 03:21:46 PM »
Tempted to plant it myself. Any idea how quickly it grows?
PM me your address and I'll send you some. It grows very quickly, about a set of leaves a week. As I said, it fruits in two to three years.
« Last Edit: August 26, 2013, 08:38:27 PM by Sanddollarmoon »

Sanddollarmoon

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #8 on: August 26, 2013, 09:31:40 PM »
Tropicdude, here is a similar gourd, the monk fruit:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siraitia_grosvenorii

Shane, did you plant your seeds? Soeaking of seeds, Tomas, where can I get oubli seeds? David, last year you had found a candle tree, how is that plant doing? Here is an updated photo of my seedling:


« Last Edit: December 28, 2015, 03:09:56 PM by Sanddollarmoon »

Tomas

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #9 on: August 26, 2013, 09:35:10 PM »
Hi Sanddollarmoon,

That's my question too, where to find oubli seeds. I have tried for years.

Tomas

fruitlovers

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #10 on: August 26, 2013, 10:55:04 PM »
Yacon is easy to find, grow, and juice.Makes lots of tubers very fast. It's a good sweetener when juiced, and it can be used by diabetics as it does not increase blood sugar levels.
Oscar

LEOOEL

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #11 on: August 26, 2013, 11:50:21 PM »
It's good to know about  this plant, thanks. I regard sugar to be really bad for one's health. I think it's much healthier to use honey and fruit as sweetners. Thank you for yor heads up on another possible natural sweetner option, the 'parmentiera edulis' plant.
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Sanddollarmoon

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #12 on: August 27, 2013, 12:23:23 AM »
X
« Last Edit: December 01, 2013, 03:45:02 PM by Sanddollarmoon »

Illia

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #13 on: August 27, 2013, 11:18:56 AM »
Personally I like Stevia way over Monkfruit, but, I don't know if many of you have actually tried pure raw Stevia leaves not that storebought dextrose/xylitol/erythritol infused stuff.

Yacon is indeed another great one, and can be easily grown in WA state without a need for a greenhouse. WA's Raintree nursery sells them. :)
Growing tropical edibles in a non-tropical place. Always hungry to add more to my collection too!

Sanddollarmoon

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #14 on: August 27, 2013, 06:37:21 PM »
Never tried raw stevia or monk fruit, although I hope to grow both next year. Yacon sounds good! Thanks for the reccomendation, my local “everything” nursery may have them.

Tomas

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #15 on: August 27, 2013, 07:33:38 PM »
I grew stevia a few years ago. The leaves are a little chewy and at first you don't sense any sweetness but after some chewing you get surprised how sweet it is. Everyone that has tried it tell me the same after a few seconds, "oh, so sweet". FYI, the leaves are sweetest before the plant starts flowering.

Tomas

NylsX

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #16 on: August 28, 2013, 10:58:06 PM »
Last week i found Cuajilote (Parmentiera edulis) in the Market and i tried Sun drying it but i failed, is there a proper way  to do it?, All I'm used to dry under the Sun is fig and it works perfectly. The fruit of cuajilote i found is medium sized and yellow, good to eat raw, the smell and flavor is sweet and fruity, not bad at all.
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Sanddollarmoon

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #17 on: August 29, 2013, 12:15:35 AM »
Quote from: ScienceDirect
Hypoglycemic activity-guided fractionation together with chemical analysis led to the isolation of one guaianolide (lactucin-8-O-methylacrylate) from the chloroform extract of the dried fruits of Parmentiera edulis. Identification was based on spectroscopic methods. The compounds lowers blood sugar levels after administration to alloxan-diabetic mice.

I thought this was interesting.

Sanddollarmoon

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #18 on: August 31, 2013, 05:42:39 PM »
Time to take a look at dried fruit. When the water evaporates from the fruit, you are left with a very dense pile of solids, with sugar being one of these. To get an idea, we'll take a look at pears. Compared to many fruit, pear sugars are a bit low, holding 10% of the fruit's total mass. When dried, sugars take up more than half of the total mass. Dried mango has one of the highest when dried: 70% the total mass, coming from a fruit who's total sugars were less than 15%. That is a 55% increase.

Last week i found Cuajilote (Parmentiera edulis) in the Market and i tried Sun drying it but i failed, is there a proper way  to do it?, All I'm used to dry under the Sun is fig and it works perfectly. The fruit of cuajilote i found is medium sized and yellow, good to eat raw, the smell and flavor is sweet and fruity, not bad at all.

This idea could be a wonderful one, let us know if you figure this one out! David Garcia and Oscar are two I know who have this or have tried it, but I am sure there are more who can help you.
« Last Edit: August 31, 2013, 05:52:12 PM by Sanddollarmoon »

KarenRei

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #19 on: August 31, 2013, 09:20:14 PM »
I just tried my first miracle fruit this evening.  Why on earth are these things not more widely available?  Gives whatever you eat with any sourness a perfect sweet flavor with no aftertaste.
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Sanddollarmoon

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Re: Using fruit as a sweetener
« Reply #20 on: September 01, 2013, 01:17:22 AM »
I just tried my first miracle fruit this evening.  Why on earth are these things not more widely available?  Gives whatever you eat with any sourness a perfect sweet flavor with no aftertaste.

Good one, Karen, I forgot the miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) of the sapote family! This is the only fruit known to contain miraculin- a tasteless glycoprotein which works it's magic by binding to the sweet receptors on your tongue, and it stays for an hour or so. By doing this, acids, which are normally sour, are picked up by the sweet receptors, who will label the acids as sweet! Unfortunately, bitter foods, which are basic, will still taste bitter. Miracle berries often have the miraculin extracted and put into pill, although miraculin is easily deactivated outside the berry, and often have a smaller effect. There is still a large market for these, with the berries being very expensive in most places, so. Some gourmet restaurants will give a single berry before the main meal, as to fully enjoy it. The plant's small white flowers are tubular, with fuzzy sepals, and very fragrant. The bark is fairly standard, and the leaves are lightly colored, with slightly darker veins, the edges wavy. The seeds are smooth, woody, and oval with seed leaves of a similar shape, and the flesh of the berry is clear white. They are extremely tropical, liking a moist environment at 70-85 degrees fahrenhight, and can die of prolonged exposure under fifty degrees. They grow best in acidic soil with a PH of 4.5-6, and although they enjoy lots of water, they cannot be flooded. It is a slow growing African tree to 10 feet, though usually only to 5 feet, and producing fruit at about 2 feet, and is a popular patio or house plant in some parts of the world. Sadly enough, I don't have a plant to take a picture of. I seem to kill any seeds I get my hands on, but maybe someday... Hey, I think there is another plant that has the opposite effect, binding to the sour receptors on your tongue.