Transcript star_fruit.pptx

Star fruit
Averrhoa Carambola
Oxalidaceae family
Geography of Cultivation
 The
origin of star fruit is not completely
known but is believed to come from either
Sri Lanka or Moluccas, Indonesia
 Main
producers of star fruit are Australia,
Guyana, India, Israel, Malaysia,
Philippines, Taiwan and the U.S.
Morphological Description
2
to 6 in. long with 5 longitudinal ridges
 When cut into a cross-section it looks like a
star
 Two common types – sour and sweet
 Yellow in color when ripe
Features of Cultivation
 Grown
in tropical and sub-tropical
climates
 Requires full sun exposure
 Needs at least 70 in. of rain a year
 No soil preference but requires good
drainage
 In ideal conditions a tree will produce 200
to 400 pounds of fruit a year
Star fruit Uses
 Main
use is as a food where it can be
eaten as a whole or may be used in
different styles of cooking or juice drinks
 Some people use star fruit trees as
ornamental plants due to the shape of
their fruits and their lavender flowers.
Star fruit Facts
 Star
fruit consumption may be fatal to
people with kidney problems due to its
oxalic acid content
 Star fruit is also an inhibitor of cytochrome
p450 isoforms which may increase the
effective dosage of some medicines in
the body
North American Use
 Wasn’t
accepted by consumers in the U.S.
until the 1970s when Morris Arkin
developed a kind of star fruit that had
sweet taste that consumers enjoyed
 This star fruit is now called the Arkin variety
and it represents 98% of the grown star
fruit in Florida
Nutrition content
 Star
fruit is consumed for
its high levels of Vitamin
C, antioxidants and
potassium
 It is also low in sugar,
sodium and acid