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Averrhoa Carambola Essay

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OSMOTIC DEHYDRATION OF STARFRUIT
Averrhoa carambola

INTRODUCTION
Star fruit, botanically called as Carambola, is a star-shaped tropical fruit with sweet and sour flavor. Malayan peninsula native Carambola is cultivated in many parts of Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands and China for its fruits. Eventhough, abundant and plentiful, carambola is yet to gain popularity, especially in the western world.
Scientific name: Averrhoa carambola. The genus Averrhoa includes two well-known sorrels (Oxalidaceae) family of fruiting trees, carambola.
Star fruit is a small, bushy evergreen tree that grows very well under hot, humid, tropical conditions. The plant bears small lilac colored, bell-shaped flowers in clusters which subsequently develop into oblong shaped fruits with characteristic five angled edges (sides or ribs) that appear like a starfish in cross sections. Both sweet and sour varieties begin to yield under cultivable orchards, and ready for harvesting when the plants …show more content…

It usually has five prominent longitudinal ridges, but in rare instances it can have as few as four or as any as eight. In cross section, it resembles a star. Thin, smooth, and waxy skin turns from light to dark yellow when ripe. The translucent flesh is light yellow to yellow in color. The fruit will have 10 to 12 flat light brown seeds about a width of 6 to 13 mm (0.25 to 0.5 in) and it is enclosed in gelatinous aril. Once removed from the fruit, they became inactive within a few days.[2]

Carambola fruit features light-green to yellow with attractive ,smooth, waxy surface and weighs about 70-130g. Inside, it's crispy, and juicy pulp can either be mildly sweet or extremely sour depending upon the type and amount of oxalic acid concentration. In some seed varieties, 2-5 tiny edible seeds found at the center of each angled cavity.

Nutrition Facts
Calories: 28
Protein: 1 g
Fat: 0 g
Saturated: 0

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