Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 7.4
Common ig fruit.
Theedibleigisoneoftheirstplantscultivatedbyhumans.Ninesubfossiligsofapartheno-
carpictypedatingtoabout9400-9200b.c.werefoundintheearlyNeolithicvillageGilgalI(in
theJordanValley,13kmnorthofJericho).Theindpredatesthedomesticationofwheat,barley,
andlegumesandmaythusbetheirstknowninstanceofagriculture.Itisproposedthattheymay
havebeenplantedandcultivatedintentionally,1000yearsbeforethenextcropsweredomesticated
(wheatandrye;Kislev,Hartmann,andBar-Yosef2006a,2006b;Lev-Yadunetal.2006).
Figscanbeeatenfreshordriedandmadeintojam.Mostcommercialproductionisindriedorother-
wiseprocessedforms,becausetheripefruitdoesnottransportwelland,oncepicked,doesnotkeepwell.
TheFoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations(FAO)reportsthat,in2005,ig
productionwas1,057,000metrictons.Turkeywasthetopigproducer(280,000metrictons),fol-
lowed by Egypt (170,000 metric tons) and other Mediterranean countries. The Aydın, İzmir and
Muğlaregions,whichusedtobecalledtheancientCariaregion,arethetopigproducersinTurkey.
7.2.1 Nutrition
Figs are one of the best plant sources of calcium and iber. According to the United States
DepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)dataforthemissionvariety,driedigsaretherichestiniber,
copper,manganese,magnesium,potassium,calcium,andvitaminK,relativetohumanneeds(Table
7.2).Theyhavesmalleramountsofmanyothernutrients.Figshavealaxativeeffectandcontain
manyantioxidants.Theyareagoodsourceoflavonoidsandpolyphenols(Vinson1999),includ-
inggallicacid,chlorogenicacid,syringicacid,(+)−catechin,(−)−epicatechin,andrutin(Veberic,
Colaric,andStampar2008).Inonestudy,a40-gportionofdriedigs(twomedium-sizeigs)pro-
ducedasigniicantincreaseinplasmaantioxidantcapacity(Vinsonetal.2005).
7.2.2 Characteristics of Unprocessed Dried Figs
Unprocessed dried igs have been obtained from the ripe fruit of varieties of
Ficus carica
domestica
L
.
driednaturally.AccordingtoRegulation1573/1999,thefollowingminimumrequire-
mentsandtolerancesforunprocesseddriedigsshouldapply:
•
Maximummoisturecontentof24%
•
Minimumsizeof136fruitsperkilogramforsmallfruitvarietiesand116fruitsperkilogramfor
othervarieties
•
Athinskinandapulpofhoneyconsistency
•
Auniformcolor
•
Cleanandpracticallyfreefromforeignmatter
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