Papples And Oranges – Health Benefits

Agriculturists have been cross breeding fruit and vegetables using technology to improve the quality pest resistance and shelf-life of farm produce. Recently, hybridisation has been used to produce altogether ‘new’ fruit, one of which is the papple.

Developed in the UK papples are a cross between Asian and European pear verities With a fluorescent pinkish-red colour and firm texture, the papple is juicier than a pear, has an overpowering sweetness and tastes similar to an apple (hence the name). This refreshing fruit comes with the following health benefits:

  • Fibre in papples helps reduce the risk of cancerous colon polyps, lower blood pressure and control cholesterol levels. Additionally, fibre gives the feeling of being full and so helps maintain body weight by reducing the appetite. Fibre is beneficial for intestinal health.
  • Vitamins in papples include Vitamin C which is essential for growth and repair of body tissues, beneficial in healing wounds and maintaining healthy bones and teeth. Vitamin K is vital in stemming blood flow, healing bleeding wounds, treating osteoporosis and loss of bone density, and the hardening of arteries, thus helping to prevent heart diseases.
  • Micronutrients found in papples have significant health benefits. Amongst the more prominent is potassium which is important to maintain tissue and cell electrolyte balance. It also helps reduce blood pressure and associated risk factors.
  • Another Prominent mineral is copper which works as an antioxidant to protect the body from free radical damage. It is also beneficial in reducing cell membrane damage and carrying out normal metabolic process in the body.

By Benish Israr. The write is a PhD scholar, studying Human Nutrition at the University of Reading, UK, and a lecturer of Food and Nutrition at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.

  • Add Your Comment

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.