Madelyn Sonntag Plant Based 2020
6 8 10
texture
crunch & crispiness building blocks
cultivation
structure and composition flavanoids
12 14 16
6
texture
7
8 “Crispy” is sometimes used to characterize attributes described by others as “crunchy”[6] and some researchers consider the terms interchangeable (for example, Chen et al.[8]). Crispness and crunchiness have been found to have a strong correlation by many researchers,[9–12 though others suggest they refer to different parameters.[13–15 Chaunier et al.[16] did not use the attribute crispy during sensory panel testing of corn flakes because they felt it did not reflect a unique sensory concept. Crispness and crunchiness have traditionally been associated with the mechanical force required to compress food until it fractures into small pieces, but these relate to the ease of fracture or fracturability brittleness of a structure. Also, there are audible aspects to crispness and crunchiness that suggest that they are due to a combination of acoustic output and rigidity of the structure or its mechanical strength.[17] Acoustic and mechanical data are subject to large variations due to the heterogeneous nature of food structure.[18] Moreover, changes with time and environment are felt to be important when characterizing crunchy foods, which have a more intricate failure mechanism (repetitive deformation and subsequent fracture events) than crispy foods.[19]
9
10 Cells are the building blocks of life The texture of fruits and vegetables starts with its building block, the cell in the plant. Any living organism (except maybe for viruses, but we won’t dive into that here) is made out of cells which is why cells are often called the building blocks of life. A cell consists of an outer layer (a membrane) which keeps a collection of liquids, molecules and little organelles together. A cell is a tiny factory and by keeping everything together within the membrane can do a variety of things. Bacteria consist of only one cell, whereas plants and animals are huge collections of millions of cells. These cells all have their own roles within the bigger plant or animal. Cells from bacteria, plants and animals all have a different structure. These structures define whether something is a plant, animals or other type of organism.
11
12
cultivation Since asparagus often originates in maritime habitats, it thrives in soils that are too saline for normal weeds to grow. Thus, a little salt was traditionally used to suppress weeds in beds intended for asparagus; this has the disadvantage that the soil cannot be used for anything else. Some places are better for growing asparagus than others. The fertility of the soil is a large factor. “Crowns” are planted in winter, and the first shoots appear in spring; the first pickings or “thinnings” are known as sprue asparagus. Sprue has thin stems.[33] A breed of “early season asparagus” that can be harvested two months earlier than usual was announced by a UK grower in early 2011. [34] This variety does not need to lie dormant and blooms at 7 °C (45 °F), rather than the usual 9 °C (48 °F). Purple asparagus differs from its green and white counterparts in having high sugar and low fibre levels. Purple asparagus was originally developed in Italy, near the city of Albenga and commercialized under the variety name ‘Violetto d’ Albenga’.
13
n
Since asparagus often originates in maritime habitats, it thrives in soils that are too saline for normal weeds to grow. Thus, a little salt was traditionally used to suppress weeds in beds intended for asparagus; this has the disadvantage that the soil cannot be used for anything else. Some places are better for growing asparagus than others. The fertility of the soil is a large factor. “Crowns” are planted in winter, and the first shoots appear in spring; the first pickings or “thinnings” are known as sprue asparagus. Sprue has thin stems.[33] A breed of “early season asparagus” that can be harvested two months earlier than usual was announced by a UK grower in early 2011.[34] This variety does not need to lie dormant and blooms at 7 °C (45 °F), rather than the usual 9 °C (48 °F). Purple asparagus differs from its green and white counterparts in having high sugar and low fibre levels. Purple asparagus was originally developed in Italy, near the city of Albenga and commercialized under the variety name ‘Violetto d’ Albenga’.
14
structure and
Like other living things, vegetables are made up of cells. There are many different types of cells within even a simple vegetable, and each has different functions within the plant. Plant cells have a fairly rigid cell wall, composed mainly of cellulose, lignins and some proteins. Calcium is critical in the formation of cell walls. If calcium is deficient (due to low soil levels or growth faster than the rate of transport within the plant) the growing tips of fruiting vegetables such as zucchini and eggplants will lack structural integrity and can break down. This is the cause of blossom end rot.
15
d composition
The cell wall is permeable to water and solutes. Inside the cell wall is the plasmalemma, which
acts like a liner. The plasmalemma helps maintain pressure inside the cell, keeping it turgid. It is this turgidity that keeps vegetables firm and crisp.
Adjacent cells are glued together by a layer of pectins. A series of channels (plasmodesmata) allows exchange of various substances between cells. The cell contains a liquid ‘soup’ called cytoplasm. Within the cytoplasm float various structures and organelles, each of which has a specific purpose.
16
Flavonoids, a group of natural substances with variable phenolic structures, are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, bark, roots, stems, flowers, tea and wine. These natural products are well known for their beneficial effects on health and efforts are being made to isolate the ingredients so called flavonoids. Flavonoids are now considered as an indispensable component in a variety of nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, medicinal and cosmetic applications. This is attributed to their anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties coupled with their capacity to modulate key cellular enzyme function. Research on flavonoids received an added impulse with the discovery of the low cardiovascular mortality rate and also prevention of CHD. Information on the working mechanisms of flavonoids is still not understood properly. However, it has widely been known for centuries that derivatives of plant origin possess a broad spectrum
17 of biological activity. Current trends of research and development activities on flavonoids relate to isolation, identification, characterisation and functions of flavonoids and finally their applications on health benefits. Molecular docking and knowledge of bioinformatics are also being used to predict potential applications and manufacturing by industry. In the present review, attempts have been made to discuss the current trends of research and development on flavonoids, working mechanisms of flavonoids, flavonoid functions and applications, prediction of flavonoids as potential drugs in preventing chronic diseases and future research directions.