|
|
Post by buddhasbelly on Mar 12, 2012 18:04:59 GMT -5
My sisters boyfriend (who is a food biologist) told me something, which he thought of or learned. He says he thinks that fructose is important to protect fruit and vegetables against things like frost. So he says, Dutch fruits are high in fructose and southern fruits are somewhat better in general (like citrus fruits). It is true that our national fruits are mainly apples and pears (some cherries and grapes, and forrest fruit in the summer).
He says he is thinking about the influence of frost on the levels of fructose in fruit, and whether this could make possible harvesting fruit with less fructose, depending on harvesting in the morning or the evening, before or after frost, freezing it and in what sizes, etc. I am curious what he comes up with, although I doubt an apple will ever be a good idea again. For potatoes however, I am very interested in this theory!
|
|
|
|
Post by buddhasbelly on Mar 12, 2012 20:38:22 GMT -5
Oh, I wrote this to possibly explain why fruit is sweet, and why it is different kinds of sweet (total of sugars, but also the ratio glucose/fructose) in different climate zones. But many of you probably already knew this!
|
|
|
|
Post by ukbill on Mar 12, 2012 21:08:11 GMT -5
Much of the sugar in fruit is to make it attractive for animals to eat and so eat the seeds which by the process of nature (and a coating that protects them from being digested) the seeds get spread around the area. Fruit also has a laxative effect if eaten in quantity! In the autumn (or fall) there is a LOT of fruit on the ground. So we can assume any animal gorging itself to put on fat to get through the winter will be spreading the seeds quite thinly all around the local area  Interesting thought.. Fructose makes fat animals and humans, historically we wanted to be fat before winter to help while there is not enough food around to provide enough calories and to help insulate us as well. I wonder if the reason we never evolved to avoid making fat from Fructose is because we wanted / needed the fat? Sugar in the form of sucrose is used in plant roots like carrots, turnips sugar beet, to protect the tuber from frost particularly as they are not deeply rooted and are close to the surface. Some Fructose also exists in seeds of plants and this might be there as a form of antifreeze as well. As to why sugar cane?? in a land where there is no frost I cannot imagine. Some things are destined to remain a mystery, for now  |
|
esmee
Full Member
gluten, lactose, fructose, histamine, and salicylate intolerant
Posts: 236
|
Post by esmee on Mar 12, 2012 22:04:46 GMT -5
charlie,
yes, fructose causes leptin resistance and leptin is the hormone that tells the brain that it has had enough to eat. so frucotse = abnormal hunger
|
|
