It's time to eat insects, oh no, it's time to eat bayberries

"In May, the forest is full of bayberries, and at first I thought that one bayberry was worth a thousand gold coins." May and June are the best times to taste bayberries. The black purple bayberries are sweet and sour, and full of juice. It is hard not to love them!

Bayberry is good-looking and delicious, but there are always some small problems, such as "fading" and "having small insects", especially the latter is a bit disgusting. Don't worry, in this article we will first understand the nutrition of bayberry, and then tell you how to wash bayberry to "repel insects" so that you can show off bayberry without worry.

Nutrition of Bayberry

Bayberry is a specialty fruit originating from my country, also known as Shengshengmei, Shumei, and Baidimei. There are records of artificial cultivation of bayberry as early as 2,000 years ago. More than 90% of the world's bayberry is produced in my country. Bayberry likes warm and humid climate and is widely planted in my country's subtropical regions. It is distributed in Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Zhejiang, Fujian and other places, mainly in Zhejiang. There is a saying that "the world's bayberry looks at China, and China's bayberry looks at Zhejiang".

Image source: Photographed by the author

In addition to being eaten directly after washing, fresh bayberry can also be processed into bayberry wine, bayberry powder, bayberry juice, and bayberry dried fruit, all of which taste good. Bayberry is also highly recommended among fruits for its low sugar content and carbohydrate content of only 6.7g/100g, which is less than half of that of apples.

Potassium: The potassium content of bayberry is relatively moderate, at 149mg/100g. Although it is not as high as bananas, it is higher than the apples we often eat, about 1.8 times that of apples. It is very suitable for people who need to control blood pressure.

Flavonoids: Bayberry is also rich in flavonoids, which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, tumor prevention, and cardiovascular health protection effects. **It also contains terpenoids. Currently, 35 terpenoids can be identified in bayberry fruits, accounting for nearly half of the total volatile flavor substances. It not only provides bayberry with woody, pine, sweet, and fruity flavors, but also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and liver and kidney protection effects.

Vitamin C: As for the vitamin C in bayberry, the data in the Chinese Food Composition Table shows that its vitamin C content is relatively low, only 9mg/100g. However, some literature mentions that the vitamin C content of some bayberries can reach 40.95~98.67mg/100g, and the vitamin C content of bayberries in the young fruit stage is the richest.

Water: In addition, the water content of bayberry is 92%, which is about the same as that of watermelon. Because bayberry is rich in water, there is a saying that "looking at the bayberry can quench your thirst".

Bayberry is not only beautiful, but also has a pleasant sweet and sour taste. Many people can't stop eating it. I would like to remind you that although the calorie content of bayberry is not high, only 30kcal/100g, which is about 1/2 of that of apple, it should be controlled. Eating too much will make you fat.

According to the recommendations in the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", the daily fruit intake should be controlled within 200-350g. The edible part of 6 slightly larger bayberries is about 100g. If you eat bayberries as fruit all day, you can eat no more than 20.

The edible part is about 100g. Photo credit: taken by the author

Why does bayberry fade?

During the process of cleaning bayberries, they will lose color to a certain extent, and some people may suspect that the bayberries have been dyed.

In fact, it is normal for bayberry to fade. This is because bayberry is rich in anthocyanins, which are a kind of water-soluble pigment. When we wash bayberry, it is easy to break the bayberry. When the cell wall of the bayberry pulp is damaged, the anthocyanins will flow into the water, causing the water to have color. Generally speaking, the more mature the bayberry is, the higher the anthocyanin content is, and the darker the color looks.

Image source: From reference [4]

Anthocyanins have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, vision protection, cancer prevention, and cardiovascular health protection effects. A large number of epidemiological experiments have shown that consuming a diet rich in anthocyanins can prevent a variety of free radical-mediated chronic diseases or complications.

Don't be afraid of insects in bayberry

You may think that eating bayberry is a vegetarian diet, but in fact it is probably a combination of meat and vegetables! There are often fat little bugs in the flesh of bayberry, which makes it difficult for many people to eat it.

The little bugs in the bayberry are fruit fly larvae, which are edible, harmless, and can help us supplement a little protein! Fruit fly larvae are very small and generally difficult to be found. It is normal for them to be eaten. Female fruit flies are generally about 2.5mm long, while males are smaller than females, and their eggs are only about 0.5mm.

Some friends may be more worried: Will the worm continue to live and crawl around in the body after being eaten? Or will it parasitize in the human body?

There is no need to worry about this, it won't happen at all! Fruit flies are heat-intolerant creatures, and their upper limit of survival temperature is 35~36℃. If it is higher than 36℃ for a long time, they will die. Our normal body temperature is higher than 36℃; and there is gastric acid in our stomach, which fruit flies really can't stand. Even if they are not killed by the heat, they will be digested by the gastric acid.

If you really feel "disgusted" and don't want to eat the bugs, you can soak them in light salt water for 10 to 20 minutes, and the fruit fly larvae will come out by themselves.

If you really don't want to see live fruit flies, you can refrigerate or freeze the bayberries before eating them. This is because the most suitable temperature for fruit flies to survive is 25℃, and the lower limit is 8~10℃. If it is below 5℃, they will be in a state of shock and will be frozen to death after 12~24 hours. However, they can no longer come out by themselves and will die in the bayberries, which may result in more protein in each bayberry you eat.

How to store bayberry?

The color, flavor and texture of the purchased bayberries are easily changed. This is because the skin of bayberries is easily damaged and thus easily spoiled. In addition, after the bayberries are picked, their respiration is still very strong, their metabolism is vigorous, and their nutrients are lost quickly.

Therefore, it is important to store bayberry properly! Low temperature refrigeration can better maintain the quality of bayberry pulp. The recommended storage temperature is 0~4℃. This temperature range can better reduce the loss of bayberry moisture, fragrance and nutrients, inhibit the growth of pathogens, effectively prevent fruit rot; and reduce the respiration of bayberry. It can be stored for up to 7 days.

Therefore, do not store the bayberries at room temperature, but put them directly in the refrigerator. If you are worried that the bugs will die in the bayberries due to refrigeration, buy less and eat them as soon as possible at room temperature. In fact, you can also soak all the bayberries you bought in light salt water to force out the bugs, then drain the water and put them in the refrigerator!

Summarize:

Bayberry is sweet and sour, so eat it now while it’s in season. It’s hard to eat it after it’s out of season! It replenishes water, potassium, vitamin C, and helps us fight oxidation. It may also replenish protein. Why miss it?

References

[1] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[2] Jiang Xingdong, Zhao Huiyu, Ma Di, Wang Xinquan, Wang Qiang, Wang Jingguo. Analysis on the current status of bayberry fruit quality development in Zhejiang Province[J]. Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products, 2023(4):20-25

[3] Zhang Qi, Liang Senmiao, Wang Rong, Lin Rui, Hu Jiahui, Zheng Xiliang, Qi Xingjiang, Zhang Shuwen. Correlation analysis between vitamin C and free amino acid content in bayberry fruit[J]. Journal of Zhejiang Agricultural Sciences, 2023, 64(1): 135-139

[4] Zhang Cong, Li Wen, Li Chengyue, Chen Lifang, Qiu Dongliang. Comparison of quality and anthocyanin components of bayberry fruits at different maturity[J]. Subtropical Agricultural Research, 2022, 18(01): 41-45. DOI: 10.13321/j.cnki.subtrop.agric.res.2022.01.007.

[5] Ming Ke, Xie Baoyu, Wei Guodong. Research progress on biological characteristics and control of bayberry fruit fly[J]. Hebei Agricultural Sciences, 2008(04):45-47. DOI:10.16318/j.cnki.hbnykx.2008.04.040.

[6] Yang Han, Li Xue, Wang Liqin, Zhang He, Kang Chen, Sun Cui, Cao Jinping. Research progress on postharvest preservation of bayberry[J]. Journal of Zhejiang University (Agriculture and Life Sciences), 2023, 49(2): 200-212

Planning and production

Author: Xue Qingxin, registered nutritionist

Review | Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Planning丨Fu Sijia

Editor: Fu Sijia

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin