What kind of fruit is pineapple

It has been linked to various health benefits, including improved digestion, a lower risk of cancer, improved immunity, and relief of arthritis symptoms. Pineapples can be consumed in a variety of ways. You can easily incorporate them into your daily healthy diet, from beverages to your everyday meals, snacks, and desserts.

Here are a few things you should know about pineapple plants if you want to grow your own pineapple plants. Legend says that pineapple extracts can be an aphrodisiac, or at least this is so according to folklore. Shop PittmanDavis. Is a Pineapple a Berry? Share This Post! Search for:. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website.

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The flowers grow together and ripen to the fruit we know. At the upper end of the inflorescence, bracts that look like leaves form an impressive tuft, which remains on the fruit after harvest. This flowering pattern is typical of most bromeliads, the family the pineapple plant Ananas comosus belongs to. And for health benefits, the low-calorie pineapple is hard to beat: it contains many vitamins, especially vitamin C, as well as minerals, enzymes and trace elements such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and zinc.

The enzyme bromelain, contained in fresh pineapple, promotes digestion and is said to have anti-inflammatory effects. Raw pineapple juice is an effective meat tenderiser, but for some people bromelain can produce soreness as the enzyme break down the proteins in sensitive tissues in the mouth. It can also stop gelatine gelling, so that a dessert fails to set. The answer here is to heat the fruit or juice briefly, to deactivate the enzyme.

There are over varieties of pineapple grown worldwide, but only a few are commercially viable. The sweet varieties that contain less acid and 3 to 4 times more vitamin C than others are especially popular. Pineapples are available year-round, mostly imported from Costa Rica, the world's largest exporter. The small and intensely aromatic baby pineapples that many people like come from South Africa. Pineapples originated in South America, but today they are grown throughout the tropics, and sometimes also in subtropical climates.

To identify good quality in fresh pineapples, look for fresh green leaves and a strongly coloured skin with no brown spots, or soft patches. The fruit should feel heavy for its size and exude the characteristic sweet, pineapple aroma.