Lecture 5: Fruits & Vegetables Flashcards

1
Q

What does it mean to say “plants are autotrophs”?

A
  • Self-nourished
  • Fix carbon
  • Make their own energy through photosynthesis
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What does it mean to say “animals and fungi are heterotrophs”?

A
  • “Other-nourished”

- Need to get eat carbon b/c they can’t fix it themselves like autotrophs can

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How do plants carry out photosynthesis?

A

-Plants have green pigments called chlorophyll in their chloroplasts
-Chlorophyll captures energy from sunlight and converts it into glucose and oxygen
(CO2 + H2O + light –> glucose + O2)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Glucose cycle

A

Basically, after photosynthesis has occurred in plants, we consume their fruit (contains glucose) while expelling energy (ATP) and carbon dioxide

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Cultivation

A

Planting, tending, improving, harvesting of crops/plants for human consumption and pleasure

  • collecting seeds
  • preparing the ground
  • watering
  • pruning
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are the dictionary, botanical, and culinary definitions of fruit?

A
  • Dictionary = edible product of plant or tree, consisting of seed and its envelope (juicy, pulpy)
  • Botanical = portions of a plant that house seeds (ovaries)
  • Culinary = generally eaten alone or as a dessert
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Pericarp

A
  • Outer wrapping around seed
  • Composed of endocarp, mesocarp, exocarp
  • Can characterize fruits based on their pericarp (thick or thin components)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Fleshy fruits

A

All or most of the pericarp (ovary wall) is soft or fleshy at maturity
-berries, hesperidium, pepo, drupes, pomes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Dry fruits

A

Pericarp splits open along definite seams

-legumes, nuts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Berries

A
  • Entire pericarp is fleshy
  • May be one or many seeds
  • Tomato, grape, blueberry, avocado
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Hesperidium

A
  • Berries with a leathery rind and parchment-like partitions between sections (endocarp)
  • Citrus (orange, lemons, limes)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Pepo

A
  • Berry with a hard, thick rind (exocarp) and fleshy mesocarp
  • Pumpkin, cucumber, squash
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Drupes

A
  • Thin exocarp that’s flexible or dry and almost leathery
  • Fleshy mesocarp with hard inner layer surrounding the seed
  • Has one seed
  • Endocarp = stone
  • Apricot, cherries, peaches, mango, pistachios
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Coconut as an example of a dry drupe

A
  • Waterproof exocarp
  • Thick, buoyant, fibrous husk (mesocarp)
  • Hard, woody endocarp that surrounds seed
  • Seed embryo is embedded in the coconut meat (endosperm)
  • Coconut milk = liquid endosperm
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Nuts

A
  • A dry fruit with one large seed and a very hard pericarp
  • Drupes in which we eat the seed inside the pit instead of the fruit
  • Walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Pomes

A
  • Fruits that have several small seeds
  • Seeds surrounded by core (pericarp)
  • Core surrounded by thick, edible hypanthium layer
  • Apples, pears
17
Q

Legumes

A
  • A dry fruit with a pericarp that splits open along a seam

- Beans, soy beans, peanuts

18
Q

Vegetable

A
  • Generally eaten with the main course of a meal
  • Classified according to the part of the plant from which it is derived (leaf, stem, root, flowering, bulbs)
  • Botanical fruits such as cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and legumes such as green beans and peas are also considered veggies from a culinary standpoint
19
Q

Name the main quality attributes of fruits and veggies?

A
  • Nutrition
  • Color
  • Taste
  • Texture
20
Q

Nutrition as a quality attribute for fruits and veggies

A
  • Macronutrients (carbs, lipids, proteins)
  • Fiber
  • Micronutrients (vitamins, minerals)
21
Q

USDA guidelines for fruits and veggies

A
  • USDA recommends 2.5 cups of fruits and veggies per day

- Recommends to eat a variety (different colors)

22
Q

Difference between variety and cultivar?

A
  • Variety = appearance distinct from other varieties, but will hybridize freely with other varieties (bell pepper, jalapeño pepper)
  • Cultivar = aka cultivated variety distinct from other cultivars, and must be possible to propagate (Excaliber bell pepper, Cal Wonder bell pepper)
23
Q

Significance of cultivars

A
  • Varieties cultivated for a specific purpose
  • Some have higher levels of certain nutrients than others
  • Cultivars nowadays focus on disease resistance, shelf life, appearance, and taste
24
Q

Color as a quality attribute for fruits and veggies

A
  • Acceptability of a food is often based solely on its color
  • Different colors provide different phytonutrients
  • Colors are the result of different pigment molecules each with different biological activity
25
Q

Name the classes of pigments found in plants

A
  • Lipid soluble (chlorophylls, carotenoids)

- Water soluble (anthocyanins, betalins)

26
Q

Chlorophylls

A
  • Fat soluble, green pigment with Mg atom bound to center
  • During heating, the Mg gets replaced by H+ ions and turns an olive color
  • If Mg is replaced by copper ions then it turns bright green
27
Q

Carotenoids

A

Family of fat-soluble plant pigments that give yellow, orange and red colors to tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, apricots, bell peppers, egg yolk, milk fat, etc.

28
Q

Lycopene

A
  • Red pigment
  • Main pigment in tomatoes and watermelon
  • Thought to be protective in prostate cancer
29
Q

Beta carotene

A
  • Found in most greens as well as carrots (orange pigment)
  • Vitamin A pre-cursor
  • Often added to foods as a colorant, a vitamin A source or as an antioxidant to keep foods from going rancid
30
Q

Anthocyanins

A
  • Water soluble pigments located in the vacuole
  • Give red, purple, and blue colors to berries, red grapes, apples, red cabbage, radishes, eggplant
  • Change their color with pH
31
Q

Betalains

A
  • Found primarily in red beet root

- Can produce beeturia (pink/red urine due to the excretion of beet pigment after eating beets)

32
Q

Taste as a quality attribute for fruits and veggies

A

-Taste = chemical sense perceived by specialized receptor cells that make up taste buds (sweet, salty, bitter, umami, sour)

33
Q

Flavor

A
  • Flavor = fusion of multiple senses (taste, aroma, irritation, etc.)
  • To perceive flavor, the brain interprets gustatory (taste) stimuli and olfactory (smell) stimuli
34
Q

Texture as a quality attribute of fruits and veggies

A

Depends upon:

  • Turgor = rigidity of plant cells resulting from being filled with water
  • Freezing can cause damage to cell membranes
  • Thickness of cell wall
  • Pectin (gels) and starch
35
Q

Controlled atmosphere storage

A
  • Storage method in which oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen concentrations are regulated
  • Lengthens storage life by retarding ripening and decay, preventing disorders, and maintaining texture
36
Q

Optimum storage conditions for fruits and veggies

A
  • Low temp
  • Low oxygen
  • High relative humidity
  • High carbon dioxide
  • Low light