18

Vegetables and
Fruits

Vegetables and fruits have many similarities with respect to their compositions,
methods of cultivation and harvesting, storage properties, and processing. In fact,
many vegetables are considered fruits in the true botanical sense. Botanically, fruits are
those portions of a plant that house seeds. Therefore, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant,
peppers, okra, sweet com, and other vegetables would be classified as fruits according
to this definition. However, the important distinction between fruits and vegetables
has come to be made on a usage basis: those plant items that are generally eaten with
the main course of a meal are often considered to be vegetables; those that commonly
are eaten alone or as a dessert are considered fruits. This is the distinction made by
food processors, certain marketing laws, and the consuming public.

GENERAL PROPERTIES
Because vegetables are derived from various parts of plants, it is sometimes helpful
to classify vegetables according to the plant part from which they are derived, such
as roots, leaves, stems, buds, and so on (Table 18.1).
Fruits are the mature ovaries of plants with their seeds. The edible portion of most
fruits is the fleshy part of the pericarp or vessel surrounding the seeds. Fruits, in
general, are acidic and sugary. They commonly are grouped into several major divi-
sions, depending principally on botanical structure, chemical composition, and climatic
requirements. Thus, berries are generally small and quite fragile, although cranberries
are rather tough. Grapes are also berries, which grow in clusters. Melons, on the other
hand, are large and have a tough outer rind. Apricots, cherries, peaches, and plums
contain single pits and are known as "drupes." "Pomes" contain many pits and are
represented by apples, quince, and pears. Citrus fruits, characteristically high in citric
acid, include oranges, grapefruit, and lemons. Tropical and subtropical fruits include
bananas, dates, figs, pineapples, papayas, mangos, and others, but not the separate
group of citrus fruits; these all require warm climates for growth.

GROSS COMPOSITION
The compositions of representative vegetables and fruits in comparison with a few
of the cereal grains are shown in Table 18.2. The composition of vegetables and fruits
depends not only on botanical variety, cultivation practices, and weather but also on

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N. N. Potter et al., Food Science
© Springer Science+Business Media New York 1998
 Table 18.1. Classification of Vegetables

Examples

Earth vegetables
roots Sweet potatoes, carrots
modified stems
corms Taro
tubers Potatoes
modified buds
bulbs Onions, garlic
Herbage vegetables
leaves Cabbage, spinach, lettuce
petioles (leaf stalk) Celery, rhubarb
flower buds Cauliflower, artichokes
sprouts, shoots (young stems) Asparagus, bamboo shoots
Fruit vegetables
legumes Peas, green beans
cereal Sweet corn
vine fruits Squash, cucumber
berry fruits Tomato, egg plant
tree fruits Avocado, breadfruit

Courtesy of B. Feinberg.

Table 18.2. Typical Percentage Composition of Edible Portion of Foods of Plant Origin

Constituent
Food Carbohydrate Protein Fat Ash Water

Cereals
wheat flour, white 73.9 10.5 1.9 1.7 12
rice, milled, white 78.9 6.7 0.7 0.7 13
maize (corn) whole grain 72.9 9.5 4.3 1.3 12
Earth vegetables
potatoes, white 18.9 2.0 0.1 1.0 78
sweet potatoes 27.3 1.3 0.4 1.0 70
Vegetables
carrots 9.1 1.1 0.2 1.0 88.6
radishes 4.2 1.1 0.1 0.9 93.7
asparagus 4.1 2.1 0.2 0.7 92.9
beans,snap,green 7.6 2.4 0.2 0.7 89.1
peas,fresh 17.0 6.7 0.4 0.9 75.0
lettuce 2.8 1.3 0.2 0.9 94.8
Fruits
banana 24.0 1.3 0.4 0.8 73.5
orange 11.3 0.9 0.2 0.5 87.1
apple 15.0 0.3 0.4 0.3 84.0
strawberries 8.3 0.8 0.5 0.5 89.9
melon 6.0 0.6 0.2 0.4 92.8

SoURCE: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

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