Edible Products. 



404 



[November, 1910. 



This would be a task that even those 

 who have the most ardent taste and 

 liking for this fruit could scarcely be 

 prevailed upon to attempt. Even though 

 he should eat the amount named he 

 would still be deficient in approximately 

 all the required fats. 



Take another illustration : The uut- 

 rients contained in the apple according 

 to the analyses that we have made are 

 aa follows :— 



Carbohydrates (includ- 

 ing cellulose) ... 10 per cent. 

 Proteids ... 20 per cent. 

 Fats ... - 2 per cent, 



Applying the same calculation as 

 before, we find that one will have to eat 

 178 ounces, or a little more than 11 

 pounds of apples a day for the requisite 

 carbohydrates ; he would be obliged to 

 eat 168 ounces or 10J pounds lor the 

 necessary proteids, and for the fats it 

 would require 1,000 ounces, or 62| pounds 

 daily. 



This demonstrates that however valu- 

 able strawberries and apples may be as 

 apart of an every-day diet, they can 

 scarcely be considered as nutrients. In 

 other words their actual nutrient value 

 is exceedingly low and this is true of 

 practically all our fruits. 



In order to support life and maintain 

 strength, strawberries and apples, like 

 most other fruits, must be eaten in con- 

 nection with more concentrated foods. 



Wherein then does the dietetic value of 

 fruit consist? Let us briefly consider. The 

 qualities which render fruit and some of 

 the more delicate garden vegetables 

 wholesome, and cause us to have a 

 natural appetite for, and hence to enjoy 

 them, are their acid juiciness and flavor. 

 The juice is largely water, but it con- 

 tains the sugar and acid of the fruit, 

 and if these are present in large 

 quantities and the right proportion, it is 

 agreeable and refreshing. Most of our 

 food products are valued on the basis of 

 the dry matter they contain ; not so 

 with fruit. 



Pure milk is 87 per cent, water and 

 may be further diluted by breed, feed, 

 and greed, and its value as food dimin- 

 ished thereby. Many of our fruits 

 contain as much water as average milk, 

 but, as a rule, it is the best fruit that 

 contains the most water. 1 have fre- 

 quently tested the amount of water in 

 "nubbin" strawberries, "cull" peaches, 

 and " runty " apples, and have found 

 less than 80%. 



In the finest specimens of each of these 

 fruits, not overgrown but perfect 

 samples, that would sell for the very 



highest price, I have usually found over 

 90 per cent, of water. A heaped bushel 

 of fine large peaches, that contained 100 

 specimens showed when tested 90 per 

 cent, of water, leaving only 8 per cent, 

 solids- This bushel of peaches sold 

 readily at $3 00, A heaped bushel of 

 small peaches of the same variety, this 

 bushel containing 400 specimens, showed 

 84 per cent, of water, and 16 per cent, of 

 dry matter. These were sold with diffi- 

 culty at 70 cents per bus*hel. This shows 

 that the acid juiciness is one of the main 

 factors in the value of fruit. Flavor 

 also adds to the quality of fruit. 

 Flavor is due in part to the organic 

 acids already mentioned, but more 

 largely to certain volatile oils and aro- 

 matic ethers. It is to these oils and 

 ethers that those delicate characteristic 

 flavors of different varieties of fruit are 

 chiefly due. Chemistiy and physiology 

 have taught us that when these fruity 

 acids, oils, and ethers are taken into the 

 body, they undergo oxidation, which 

 process tends to lower the temperature 

 of the blood or at least to modify our 

 temperature sensations, and thus correct 

 or allay any slight feverishness that 

 may exist. They also tend to keep the 

 organs of secretion, the liver, kidneys, 

 etc., as well as the whole digestive tract 

 in healthy condition. The free acids of 

 fruits, especially citric and malic, are 

 highly antiseptic bodies, and tend to 

 prevent disease germs from finding a 

 lodgment and developing in the body. 



In our climate, subject as we often 

 are to rapid changes and extremes of 

 temperature, the physical system is 

 naturally more or less debilitated. In 

 this connection we are predisposed to 

 colds, fever and other troubles. Fruits 

 and acid vegetables are known to be 

 good correctives for this debilitated 

 condition. We should remember, that 

 as a rule, the full beneficial effects of 

 fruit are only to be found in those that 

 are well grown and mature, Green or 

 unripe fruit may have an abundant 

 supply of acids, but such fruits are 

 usually injurious when eaten on account 

 of their indigestibility. This is due 

 partly to the fact that the starch is not 

 yet converted into sugar, and partly to 

 the coarse and hard condition of the 

 cellulose. When fruits are perfectly 

 developed and properly matured, practi- 

 cally all the starch is converted into 

 sugar and the cellulose is soft and fine. 

 We know that unripe fruit is not whole- 

 some. It digests slowly, often ferments 

 in the stomach, and is the cause of pain- 

 ful disorders. It is unwise to take into 

 our stomachs unripe fruit, it is equally 

 unwise to eat thac which is over-ripe, 



