Buying, Storing, and Preparing Apricots

When buying apricots, always those that are firm, plump orange fruit somewhat, "" if you give the thumbs must be considered. Bruised apricots should be avoided. Like apples and potatoes, apricots, polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme that phenols in the apricots contain the brown pigment combined with fruit.

When apricots oppressed, breaking the cells, releasing the enzyme so that the brown spots in the form of a hematoma. Avoid apricots that are hard or soft or pasta. All are less attractive to mature apricot farms and dry rot quickly. Avoid green apricots because they are low in carotenes and do not ripen satisfactorily at home.

Always try to get ripe apricots in the refrigerator and in a few days. Apricots do not lose their stores of vitamin A, but they are very perishable and rot quickly.

When you delete or slices of apricots, to rip you off their cell walls, releasing polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that reacts with phenols in the apricots, producing brown compounds that darken the fruit. Acids inactivate polyphenoloxidase, so you can reduce this reaction (but not completely stop), cut the apricots first dive and / or peeled in a solution of lemon juice or vinegar and water or by mixing with the citrus salad. Polyphenoloxidase also works more slowly in the cold, but storing peeled apricots in the refrigerator is much less effective than an acid bath.

Be easily broken by the apricots, plunge into boiling water for a minute or two, then remove with a slotted spoon to remove and throw into cold water. As in the case of tomatoes, it works because the change in temperature of a layer of cells beneath the skin, the skin slides easily.

If you're wondering what happens when the apricots are cooking, cooking dissolves pectin, fiber main apricot, and makes the fruit. But color does not change or decrease the level of vitamin A, carotenes as insensitive to the heat of normal cooking.