Exploring the Versatility and Applications of Plant Oils: From Nutritional Benefits to Industrial Uses
Oils and fats are essential sources of energy in the human diet and significantly contribute to the sensory characteristics of food. Overweight (body mass index, BMI ≥ 25) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30) are classified as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation in the body, which can negatively impact health. These conditions may arise from a variety of factors, including individual predisposition, socioeconomic status, and environmental influences. Common causes include dietary habits, genetics, medication use, physical […]
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Vanilla: The Little Plant That Packs a Big Flavor Punch
General description Vanilla is one of the most famous tropical spices in the world and is ranked third after saffron and cardamom as flavorings. Scientifically known as Vanilla planifolia Andrews (commonly known as Bourbon vanilla), it is a native orchid of Southeast Mesoamerica, Mexico. This species is known for producing the highest quality and delicate popular flavor, vanilla. Vanilla tahitensis J. W. Moore and Vanilla pompona Schiede are two other economically important species of Vanilla. […]
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Vitamin Sea: Lemon and other species.
Citrus limon The lemon tree thrives best in warm Mediterranean climates with mild winters, reaching a height of about 20 feet. However, it is prone to collar rot and must be planted with the graft union well above the soil and kept away from mulch. The C. limon ‘Eureka’ cultivar is likely the most widely grown, producing fruit and flowers year-round. It is an attractive, almost thornless tree and the best variety for temperate locations […]
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A tangy truth about oranges and other species
Citrus is a famous fruit under the family Rutaceae and is one of the most pivotal fruit crops in the world as it is rich in vitamin A, C, and E as well as minerals, flavonoids, coumarins, limonoids, carotenoids, pectins, and other compounds. In addition, they are well-accepted through fresh fruits or their derived product by consumers of all over the world because of their attractive colors, pleasant, and aroma. Citrus is now widely grown […]
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The most elegant flowers – Orchids
General description Orchids are grown for the astonishing beauty and variety of their flowers. Orchids can charm and tantalize, fascinate, and be frustrating. The most beautiful orchids are the gorgeous South American cattleyas, often huge, sparkling, rosy-purple, and mauve blooms. To be specific, others have an altogether different appeal, such as having a strangely weird, sometimes evil-smiling species found among the Bulbophyllum. There are numerous delightful orchids of unlimited charm and desirability in between these […]
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Strawberry
Strawberry is scientifically known as Fragaria x ananassa. Breeding between two American species, Fragaria chioensis and Fragaria virgiana resulted in a hybrid plant, the cultivated strawberry. The cultivated strawberry originated from hybridizing two American species, Fragaria chilioensis Duch. and Fragaria virginiana Duch. Strawberries can be diploid, tetraploid, hexaploid, octoploid, and decaploid. The woodland strawberry, F. vesca, and most native species worldwide are diploid. They range from dioecious to hermaphroditic and self-fertile to self-incompatible. Three known […]
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Berry good! 2.0
Blueberry General description Blueberries belong to the genus Vaccinium in the health family Ericaceae. They are classified in the Cyanococcus section within the genus Vaccinium. Several sections are agriculturally important, including Cyanococcus (true blueberries), Oxycoccus (cranberries), and Myrtillus (bilberries and whortleberries). Wild representatives of Oxycoccus and Myrtillus are found in Europe and North America, while Cyanococcus is solely in North America. This is a large and varied genus of about four hundred and fifty species […]
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The smallest plant in the world – Duckweed
Duckweed species are the most miniature flowering plants with minute sizes from 0.5 millimeters to less than two centimeters. They are commonly known as water lentils or water lenses, a subfamily of flowering aquatic plants. Allied to Lemna, this is a genus of eight species of floating aquatics distributed over most of the tropical to warm-temperature regions of the world. They are among the most miniature known flowering plants, having minuscule, bright green plant bodies […]
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