FRUITS

FIBER CROPS

Fiber crops are plants that are deliberately grown for the production of fiber for textile (clothes), cordage (e.g., ropes), and filling (e.g., stuffing upholstery and mattresses). Cotton, jute, kenaf, industrial hemp, sun hemp, and flax are among the well-known fiber crops.

ARECA

It has potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, antiulcer and neuroprotective properties. According to Ayurveda, besides being a great masticatory ingredient, areca nut plays a pivotal role in balancing pitta and kapha doshas even while stimulating digestion. Young leaves, inflorescences and the sweet inner part of the shoots are cooked and eaten as vegetables. The skin of the fruit is edible. The nut contains 8-12% fat that has characteristics comparable with hydrogenated coconut oil. It can be made edible by refining it with an alkali.

BANANA

A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguishing them from dessert bananas. The fruit is variable in size, color, and firmness, but is usually elongated and curved, with soft flesh rich in starch covered with a rind, which may be green, yellow, red, purple, or brown when ripe. The fruits grow upward in clusters near the top of the plant. Almost all modern edible seedless (parthenocarp) bananas come from two wild species – Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. The scientific names of most cultivated bananas are Musa acuminata, Musa balbisiana, and Musa × paradisiaca for the hybrid Musa acuminata × M. balbisiana, depending on their genomic constitution. The old scientific name for this hybrid, Musa sapientum, is no longer used.

PINEAPPLE

Pineapple ranks high in the list of foods rich in vitamin and mineral content. Vitamin C, that promotes the growth and repair of tissues, is present in pineapple in nearly one-third of the daily required quantity. Studies show people taking vitamin C regularly may be able to fight cancer, heart disease, and arthritis. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuries.