Nutritional value of plums

Plums are sour and sweet, and are very popular among people, especially girls. Do you know the effects of plums? How much do you know about plums?

Plum Nutrition and Production:

Nutrition of plums

Plums are rich in nutrients, containing a variety of organic acids, vitamins, flavonoids, alkaline minerals and other essential health substances for the human body. The threonine and other 8 kinds of amino acids and flavonoids contained in them are very beneficial to the normal protein composition and metabolism of the human body, and can prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, so they are known as health foods.

Plums are rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, etc. and other minerals. The content of calcium, phosphorus, and zinc is much higher than that of other fruits. In addition, green plums contain a very high content of citric acid, which accounts for more than 85% of the organic acid content of green plums. Other organic acids include malic acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid, etc. The protein content is more than twice that of strawberries and citrus fruits. It can be said that green plums are extremely rich in nutrients and are an excellent health fruit.

The production process of plums

1. Salting: Take 7.5 kg of salt and 250 g of alum, add water (the amount should be enough to immerse the fruit) to make a solution, then immerse the plum fruit in the solution, and salt it for 48 hours until the plum color turns yellow. 2. Poke the eyes: Use a needle to pierce the hole, the depth of the hole should reach the core, this is called piercing the eyes, and continue salting for 3 to 5 days after piercing the eyes. 3. Rinse: Pour the pickled plums into alum solution (concentration is 0.1%) and soak for 20 hours, during which time the solution is changed once, and it should be turned over frequently. 4. Dyeing: Add 15 kg of white sugar, add appropriate amount of pigment (lemon yellow and indigo are used to make green), add water to dissolve and mix well, and pour it into the soaking tank together with the plums. 5. Sugar pickling: The initial sugar pickling generally takes 9 days. Leave it alone for the first 2 days, and add 1.5 kg of sugar every day for the next 7 days, and turn it over on time. 6. Fermentation: From the seventh day, the plums will undergo a slight alcohol fermentation, which should be controlled within 24 hours. 7. Sugar pickling: The later stage of sugar pickling takes 10 to 20 days, during which 1.5 kg of sugar should be added every other day, and attention should be paid to timely turning and replenishing the sugar solution. On the 40th day of sugar pickling, all the remaining sugar should be added to make the sugar content reach 50%. After a few days, the sugar content can increase to 60%, and finally reach 65%, and the pickling is completed.

The therapeutic value of plums

1. Broad-spectrum antibacterial effect: Experiments have shown that the decoction of black plum has an inhibitory effect on anthrax bacillus, diphtheria and diphtheria-like bacilli, staphylococci, pneumococci, etc. It is also effective against intestinal pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Proteus, Salmonella typhi and paratyphoid, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Vibrio cholerae, etc.; its ethanol extract has a significant antibacterial effect on some Gram-positive and negative bacteria, and human tuberculosis bacillus; the decoction of black plum has an inhibitory effect on pathogenic skin fungi such as tinea mentagrophytes, Epidermophyton floccosum, and Microsporum gypseum in vitro;

2. Anti-allergy: Wumei decoction and its mixture can reduce the death rate of guinea pig protein shock animals, and also have a significant inhibitory effect on isolated rabbit intestines, proving that Wumei can resist protein allergy;

3. Promote bile secretion: Wumei can make the gallbladder contract, promote bile secretion and excretion, and is a good medicine for treating biliary ascariasis;

4. Relieve heat and promote the production of body fluids: Plum pulp contains more potassium. The sour plum soup made from black plums can prevent the phenomenon of low potassium caused by excessive sweating, such as fatigue, weakness, and drowsiness. It is a good product for cooling down and relieving heat and promoting the production of body fluids.

5. Anti-cancer: In vitro tests show that black plums have an inhibitory effect on human cervical cancer, with an inhibition rate of more than 90%. Regular consumption of plum flesh can prevent cancer, fight cancer, and prolong life. Plums are alkaline foods. Pairing with acidic foods can improve the body's pH value and achieve the purpose of health preservation.

Plum is warm in nature, sweet and sour in taste, and enters the liver, spleen, lung, and large intestine meridians; it has the effects of astringing the lungs and relieving cough, astringing the intestines and relieving diarrhea, relieving restlessness and calming the mind, promoting fluid and quenching thirst, killing insects and calming ascaris, and relieving pain and bleeding; it is mainly used to treat chronic cough, false heat and thirst, chronic malaria, chronic diarrhea, hematuria, metrorrhagia, abdominal pain caused by ascariasis, vomiting and other symptoms.

How to identify the quality of plums?

Choose plum varieties with large fruit, small core, green color, crisp texture, neat shape, full fruit, round thorns, small core, juicy and sweet taste. Generally, plums with plump and full filling, dry surface, no water marks, bald hairs on the surface, shiny, and formed but not full kernel are considered high-quality fresh plums. If the flesh is soft, it is overripe. If the flesh is too hard, it is overripe, sour and astringent, and the taste is not good.