Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 9.7.
Proximate composition of 100 g edible portion of litchi ('Gui Wei') and
longan (Wills
et al.
, 1986; Morton, 1987; Wenkam, 1990). The edible portion of
litchi and longan is
ca.
72%.
Litchi
Longan
Water (g)
77.6
83.5
Energy (kJ)
335
-
Protein
(g)
0.94
0.84
Lipid (g)
0.29
0.44
Carbohydrate (g)
20.77
14.9
Fibre (g)
0.16
0.32
Ash (g)
0.37
0.43
Minerals
Calcium (mg)
4
9
Iron (mg)
0.37
0.4
Magnesium (mg)
16
-
Phosphorus (mg)
35
36
Potassium (mg)
255
170
Sodium (mg)
7
3
Vitamins
Ascorbic acid (mg)
40.2
42
Thiamin (mg)
0.035
-
Ribo
fl
avin (mg)
0.084
0.05
Niacin (mg)
1.91
-
Vitamin A (IU)
0
-
Fresh litchi packed in polyethylene bags can be quick-frozen and stored
for more than a year and still be edible, with the skin colour and fl avour
reasonably well preserved. Fruit can be sun-dried in approximately 20 days;
two-thirds of the moisture is removed. Oven-drying can be used to shorten
the drying time, but care must be taken to use relatively low temperatures
of around 40°C, as higher temperatures tend to caramelize the sugars and
produce a burnt fl avour and bitterness.
FURTHER READING
Galán Saúco, V. (1989)
Litchi Cultivation
(Menini, U.G. FAO Coordinator). FAO Plant
Production and Plant Protection Paper No. 83. FAO, Rome, Italy (In Spanish).
136pp.
Menzel, C.M. (1983) The control of fl oral initiation in lychee: a review.
Scientia
Horticulturae
21, 201-215.
Menzel, C.M. and Waite, G.K. (2005)
Litchi and Longan
. CABI Publishing, Wallingford,
UK.
Menzel, C.M., Watson, B.J. and Simpson, D.R. (1988) Longans - a place in Queensland's
horticulture?
Queensland Agriculture Journal
115, 251-265.
