PRUNE JUICE EXTRACT 5:1
Product No. P16207
By definition, a prune is a dried plum of the European plum, including the Agen variety. Ordinarily, a prune tree starts to bear fruit four to six years after planting and reaches its full production capacity sometime between its eighth and twelfth year in the ground. Trees will then continue to bear fruit for about 30 years.
The prune tree is deciduous and goes dormant during the winter months. At this time, the trees are pruned to regulate shape, control fruit size, and maintain a healthy growth pattern.
Blossoming usually occurs in the second to third week of March. By mid-August, the orchards are ready for harvesting, which is determined by their ripeness, in that they are one of the few fruits allowed to fully ripen before they are picked for processing. Fruit firmness and natural sugar content determine the picking date.
The process of drying plums to make prunes is thought to have originated thousands of years ago in an area near the Caspian Sea, the same region where the prune-producing European plums originated. They spread throughout Europe with the migration of different cultures and civilizations.
Prune plum varieties can be dried without fermenting while still containing the pits, but this is not true of all varieties of plums. Traditionally the fruit was harvested and sun dried. Today, most of the prunes on the market are dried through natural gas heated dehydrators. The typical modern process is to harvest the fruit, wash and dehydrate them. The fruit is then graded for size, sorted and then stored in wooden bins until further processed.
Prunes have a strong, sweet taste, and a sticky, chewy texture. They are highly nutritious and a very good source of fibre, which has been shown to possibly reduce the risk of certain cancers. Prunes are also good sources of;
Vitamin A - important for healthy skin and hair, and proper bone development
Potassium - a necessary electrolyte
Iron - for healthy red blood cells
Vitamin C - important for development of bones, muscles, blood vessels and teeth, and necessary for the absorption of iron
Folic Acid - necessary for metabolism regulation, and in protecting against heart disease and stroke. Especially important for seniors who usually have reduced blood folic acid levels
Phytochemicals - Prunes are especially high in antioxidant activity - chemicals that protect against cellular damage and are believed to protect the body by ridding it of free radicals and thus protecting against heart disease, cancer, eye disorders like cataracts and macular degeneration, and other chronic health problems.
The dried version (prunes) of the plant scientifically known as Prunus domestica have been the subject of many health studies for their high content of the unique phytonutrients neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acid. These substances are classified as phenols, and their function as antioxidants has been well-documented. These damage-preventing substances are particularly effective in neutralising a particularly dangerous oxygen radical called superoxide anion radical, and they have also been shown to help prevent oxygen-based damage to fats.
Prunes' ability to deter oxygen-related damage to our cells is related to their beta-carotene content. Beta-carotene acts as a fat-soluble antioxidant, eliminating free radicals that would otherwise cause much damage to cells and cell membranes. Only after cholesterol has been oxidised by free radicals does it pose a threat to artery walls - the build-up of cholesterol in the artery walls forms plaques that can either grow so large they block blood flow or rupture, releasing a clot that can impede the flow of blood, and triggering a heart attack or stroke. Free radicals can also damage cellular DNA, causing mutations, which, if serious enough, can result in the formation of cancerous cells. In addition, by causing damage, free radicals contribute to inflammation, which is one way the body clears out cells or other substances that have been damaged. In this way, free radicals increase the severity of a number of different conditions. This is why beta-carotene, which shuts down free radicals, has been shown in studies to be helpful for the prevention of a variety of diseases, including atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, and colon cancer, and why it has also been found useful for reducing the severity of inflammatory conditions like asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Prunes are a good source of potassium - an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. The potassium in prunes may help to prevent high blood pressure and protect against atherosclerosis - the effectiveness of potassium-rich foods like prunes in lowering blood pressure has been demonstrated by a number of studies.
In addition to these cardiovascular benefits, the potassium found in prunes may also help to promote bone health. It is believed to counteract the increased urinary calcium loss caused by the high-salt diets typical of most Westerners, thus helping to prevent bones from thinning out at a fast rate.
Prunes are widely known as a good source of dietary fibre, the health benefits of which are substantial, and include normalising blood sugar levels and helping with weight loss.
Prunes' soluble fibre helps normalise blood sugar levels by slowing the rate at which food leaves the stomach, and by delaying the absorption of glucose (the form in which sugar is transported in the blood) following a meal. Soluble fibre also increases insulin sensitivity and can therefore help in the prevention and treatment of Type 2 diabetes. The soluble fibre present in prunes also promotes a sense of fullness after a meal by slowing the rate at which food leaves the stomach, so they can also help prevent overeating.
Prunes are well known for their ability to prevent constipation. In addition to providing bulk and decreasing the transit time of food through the digestive system, thus decreasing the risk of colon cancer and haemorrhoids, prune fibre also provides food for the ‘friendly’ bacteria in the large intestine. When these helpful bacteria ferment the fibre, they produce a short-chain fatty acid called butyric acid, which serves as the primary fuel for the cells of the large intestine and helps maintain a healthy colon. These helpful bacteria also create two other short-chain fatty acids, propionic and acetic acid, which are used as fuel by the cells of the liver and muscles. In addition to producing the helpful fatty acids, friendly bacteria play an important protective role in crowding out pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria, and preventing them from surviving in the intestinal tract.
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