The family relationship of citrus fruits is somewhat complicated, and new varieties can appear when they are related to each other.
1. Grapefruit
Also called pomelo, it belongs to the genus Citrus of the Rutaceae family. It has been cultivated in tropical Asia since ancient times. It has a cultivation history of more than 3,000 years in my country. The fruit is large, with a diameter of about 25 cm or even wider.
2. Sweet orange
Perhaps it is a fruit that was hybridized from tangerine and pomelo in ancient times. There are many varieties, such as navel orange, blood orange, sour orange, and sour orange.
3. Grapefruit
Also known as grapefruit, it belongs to the genus Citrus of the Rutaceae family. Although the word "pomelo" is in its name, it is not a proper pomelo. It is a hybrid of pomelo and sweet orange. Compared with pomelo, grapefruit has a more obvious bitter taste, which mainly comes from phenolic substances and limonin in naringin.
4. The relationship between these 4 fruits
Pomelo and tangerine are both original varieties. The two of them "gave birth" to sweet orange, and sweet orange and pomelo "gave birth" to grapefruit. In addition, grapefruit and tangerine can also "gave birth" to tangerine.
The most valuable thing about pomelo is that it is not only delicious, but also helps lose weight! Friends who love beauty can eat it without any burden.
The calorie content of pomelo is 42 kcal/100g, while the calorie content of grapefruit is lower, at 33-40 kcal/100g. [2] Both pomelo and grapefruit have lower calorie content than other autumn fruits such as kiwi, grape, winter jujube, pomegranate, and persimmon.
A large pomelo weighing more than 2 jin has an edible part of about 800 grams. If a person eats 1/4 of a pomelo (about 200 grams), they will only consume about 80 kcal, which is less than a small banana. Even if you eat half a pomelo, you will consume about 160 kcal, which is equivalent to a large plate as shown in the picture below. If you want to replace it with winter jujube with the same calorie content, you can only eat 6. In comparison, pomelo is still more satisfying and is very suitable for eating while watching TV series.
Image source: provided by the author. In addition, grapefruit contains nearly 90% water, which can enhance satiety. Eating grapefruit as a snack in the morning and afternoon can help us control appetite and reduce the amount of food we eat at meals, which is very helpful for weight loss.
Grapefruit has good nutritional value. The vitamin C content of pomelo is 23mg/100g, which is similar to lemon, but tastes better than lemon. The vitamin C content of grapefruit is 36~38mg/100g, which is slightly higher than that of orange.
Grapefruits of different colors have slight nutritional differences. Grapefruits come in three colors: white flesh, red flesh, and yellow flesh. Someone compared the carotenoid content in three different types of pomelo with different flesh colors: golden honey pomelo, red honey pomelo, and Guanxi honey pomelo. The results showed that the main coloring components of golden honey pomelo juice are β-carotene, phytoene, α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and lycopene. The total amount of carotenoids is the highest, which is 2.6 times and 287.7 times that of red honey pomelo and Guanxi honey pomelo respectively.
α-Carotene, β-carotene, zeaxanthin, and lutein are the main pigments of yellow, and lycopene is the main pigment of red. Therefore, the content of α-carotene, β-carotene, and zeaxanthin in golden honey pomelo is the highest among the three; the content of lycopene in red honey pomelo is the highest among the three, which is 19.39 times that of golden honey pomelo.
Carotenoids are antioxidant components, which are beneficial to our health after ingestion. For example, β-carotene can be converted into vitamin A in the body, which is beneficial to the health of the eyes and skin; lycopene can help us fight inflammation and protect cardiovascular health.
Grapefruit peels contain a variety of nutrients, such as dietary fiber, polyphenols, flavonoids, etc. Among them, dietary fiber can promote the proliferation of beneficial intestinal bacteria, promote gastrointestinal motility, prevent constipation, and stabilize postprandial blood sugar. However, grapefruit peels may have a bitter taste, so we can make them into grapefruit peel preserved fruit and grapefruit peel candy.
Grapefruit peel preserved fruit production process: grapefruit peel → wash → cut → precook → sugar boil (white sugar, honey) → candied → drying → finished product. The grapefruit peel preserved fruit is golden and transparent, with a prominent grapefruit flavor, no bitterness, full shape, and soft and elastic when chewed.
Production process of grapefruit peel candy: peel off the yellow outer skin → cut into pieces → add salt to soften → soak in water to wash off salt and bitterness → squeeze out water → change water to wash and soak → squeeze out water again → boil water → add grapefruit peel and cook for 1 minute → cool water → squeeze out water for later use → add yellow rock sugar, water, and a small amount of salt to the pot → turn to low heat to simmer into flowing syrup after the rock sugar melts → add grapefruit peel and stir-fry on low heat → dry and harden → finished product, if you use red grapefruit peel, the color will be better.
It should be noted that both methods contain added sugar, don't eat too much at a time, be careful of tooth decay and obesity. If you are too lazy to use it to make food, you can put the grapefruit peel in the refrigerator. Grapefruit peel has a fresh fragrance, and putting it in the refrigerator can remove odor.
Since it is one of the popular fruits in autumn, diabetics are naturally eager to try it.Grapefruit is actually quite friendly to diabetics. It is a fruit with a low glycemic index (low GI), with a GI value of only 25. It is also a fruit with a low glycemic load (low GL). Eating 100 grams of grapefruit has a GL of only 2.3. Even if you eat half a grapefruit (400 grams), the GL is only 9.2. GL < 10 means that it has little effect on blood sugar, so diabetic patients can eat it with confidence.
According to the recommendations on fruit intake in the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", you can eat 200-350 grams of fruit every day. If you plan to eat grapefruit for the whole day, you don't have to worry about blood sugar soaring if you control it within this recommended range.
If you are taking medicine, it is best to eat grapefruit and citrus fruits with caution. Chemical components such as furanocoumarins contained in grapefruit have a significant inhibitory effect on CYP3A4 of small intestinal mucosal epithelial cells, thereby affecting the effect of drugs or causing adverse reactions.
Study 1: The pharmacokinetic effects of 12 healthy subjects drinking 250mL of grapefruit juice and pomegranate juice for 3 consecutive days on dapoxetine were evaluated. It was found that grapefruit juice can increase the bioavailability of dapoxetine, but can reduce the clearance of dapoxetine by inhibiting intestinal and liver cytochrome CYP3A4.
Study 2: 12 domestic volunteers drank 250ml of grapefruit juice every day for 7 consecutive days to explore its pharmacokinetic effects on the antidepressant blonanserin and its metabolite N-desethyl. It was found that grapefruit juice can increase the bioavailability of blonanserin and delay the clearance time in the body.
There are also a large number of literature reports on the interaction between grapefruit and different drugs such as talinolol and lovastatin. The interaction relationship between more than 30 drugs and grapefruit has been confirmed. For example, antihypertensive drugs, lipid-lowering drugs, immunosuppressants, a few tumor suppressor drugs, etc., read the instructions carefully or consult a doctor before taking the medicine. If you really can't figure it out, just don't eat grapefruit during the period of taking the medicine.
Look at the variety: There are many varieties of pomelo on the market, and the edible rate varies. A study compared the differences between the four varieties of pomelo: Crystal Honey Pomelo, Guanxi Honey Pomelo, Pomelo, and Ruby Pomelo.
Edible rate of the whole fruit: Guanxi Honey Pomelo > Pomelo > Crystal Honey Pomelo > Ruby Pomelo, Guanxi Honey Pomelo has the lowest percentage of skin weight per fruit and the highest edible rate; Crystal Honey Pomelo and Pomelo have fewer seeds, with only 1 to 3 seeds per fruit, followed by Guanxi Honey Pomelo, and Ruby Pomelo has the most seeds, with an average of 108 seeds per fruit; in terms of taste, Pomelo has the lowest sweetness, the highest acidity, and the strongest bitterness, but the richest juice content; Guanxi Honey Pomelo has the highest sweetness; Crystal Honey Pomelo has the strongest flavor, tender fruit, moderate sweetness and sourness, and the best overall taste; Grapefruit has the smallest single fruit weight.
So, in general, if you want to buy sweet and big pomelo, choose crystal honey pomelo or Guanxi honey pomelo; if you like small and sour taste, buy grapefruit.
Look at the appearance: choose the fruit with a regular shape without deformity, smooth skin and dark color, which is more mature and less bitter.
Smell: The ripe pomelo has a strong aroma.
Weigh the weight: choose the heavy one instead of the light one. For pomelo of similar size, choose the heavier one, which means that the water content is more sufficient, fresher, and more juicy; the pomelo of large size but light weight may have burst capsules and dry and tasteless flesh.
Press the skin: Press the skin gently to see if there is a dent and whether the skin is elastic. If the dent is large and the elasticity is poor, it means the quality is poor.
On the list of must-eat fruits in autumn, pomelo must be on the list. Moreover, the "柚" in pomelo is homophonic with the "佑" in bless, which means blessing. Pomelo is also called "佑子（bless kids）", which is often regarded as an auspicious fruit by people. Hurry up and prepare a big pomelo for your home so that you can share it together!
