Question

a) botanical ingredients found in pineapple and why is it used, what is the ingredient function/purpose.

(b) botanical fact about pineapple

(c) how is pineapple made and what are the secondary metabolites

(d) ethnobotanical knowledge about pineapple  

(e) how is the raw material transferred?

(f) nutritional value of pineapple

Answer 1

a) Botanical ingredient found in pineapple is bromelain.

Various health benefits can be obtained from bromelain which includes

• relieving sinus problems
• reducing inflammation
• improving digestion

Bromelain is a mixture of thiol endopeptidases as well as other components like glucosidase, carbohydrates, phosphatases , peroxidases, cellulases and several protease inhibitors. All these elements present in bromelain helps to speed up the bio chemical reaction inside the cells.

b)

• The enzyme bromelain found in pineapple can be used to tenderise meat.
• Pineapple is a cluster of hundreds of fruitlets.
• 18-20 months are required for pineapple to get ready for harvest.
• It is the only edible Bromeliads.
• Pineapple can be regenerated from its leaves.
• At a time one pineapple plant can produce only one pineapple.

c) Pineapple is not grown from seeds. It grows out of the top of the central stem. Dozens of individual fruit producing flowers, fuses into a single fruit and is capped with a crown sporting by so many short leaves.

The most abundant secondary metabolitep is phenolic compound. In pineapple, phenolic content is higher with 80% methanol at 1:20 solid-solvent ratio with a temperature of 35 degree Celsius as well as a contact time of 90 minutes.

d) To the new world tropics, Bromeliads are epiphytic or xerophytic terrestrial herb natives. They are well adapted to hot, dry climate as the use Crassulacean acid metabolism. Native Americans used Bromeliads for food, medicine,fibre and ceremonial hairdressers. Pineapple is the only Bromeliad parthenocarpic aggregate food which is grown on a commercial scale.