Do you have a prune tree in your yard? If so, you’re in luck! Prune is a delicious and nutritious fruit that can be enjoyed in many different ways. Whether you roast them, stew them, or make a prune jam, there are plenty of recipes to explore. Prune is also a great source of dietary fiber, iron, and potassium, so they are a great addition to any diet. In this post, we’ll discuss the health benefits, the best ways to enjoy them, and some delicious recipes to try. We’ll also talk about proper prune tree care and harvesting so you can make the most of your prune tree. So, let’s get started!
Prune Nutrition Facts and Calories Chart
Fruit is a good source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, and dietary fiber. They also contain a variety of antioxidants, which can help protect against damage caused by free radicals. Prune also contain a type of sugar called sorbitol, which may help to regulate blood sugar levels and provide a source of slow-release energy. Nutritional value per 100 g prunes:
- Biotin: 1.2 mcg
- Calcium: 24 mg
- Carbohydrates (Carbs): 63 g
- Chloride: 33 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Choline: 15.2 mg
- Chromium: 0.2 mcg
- Copper: 0.2 mg
- Dietary Fiber: 5.1 g
- Energy (Calories): 249 kcal
- Fat: 0.3 g
- Iodine: 1.3 mcg
- Iron: 0.9 mg
- Magnesium: 36 mg
- Manganese: 0.2 mg
- Molybdenum: 2.4 mcg
- Pantothenic Acid: 0.4 mg
- Phosphorus: 58 mg
- Potassium: 605 mg
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Saturated fat: 0.1 g
- Selenium: 0.9 mcg
- Sodium: 4 mg
- Sugars: 40 g
- Vitamin A: 118 IU
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamin): 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 0.9 mg
- Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid): 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B6: 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B9 (Folate / Folic Acid): 33 mcg
- Vitamin B12: 0 mcg
- Vitamin C: 0.7 mg
- Vitamin D: 0 IU
- Vitamin E: 0.7 mg
- Vitamin K: 7 mcg
- Water: 16.2 g
- Zinc: 0.2 mg
Prune in India
They are the firm-fleshed variety of plums with a high enough sugar content to permit drying without fermentation around the pit. The highest prune production occurs in the Californian Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, which together produce more prunes than the rest of the world combined. Nearly all the U.S. supply and 60% of the world’s supply come from California. Prune juice is also a popular drink and is beneficial to health. Various flavors of dried plum are available at Chinese grocers and specialty stores worldwide such as salty plums, spicy, licorice and ginseng flavored dried plums. Asian store also sell pickled plums.
- Scientific Binomial: Prunus domestica
- Common English: Prune / Black Plum
- Ayurvedic: Aaruka / Aaluubukhaaraa
- Unani: Aaluuchaa
- Sanskrit: Aruka
- Hindi / Urdu: Alu bukhara
- Bengali
- Marathi
- Telugu: Alpagodapandu
- Tamil: Alpagada-pungam
- Gujarati
- Kannada
- Malayalam: Arukam
- Oriya
- Punjabi / Sindhi
- Assamese
- Kashmiri
- Konkani
- Manipuri
- Dogri
- Bhojpuri
Health Benefits and Uses
Dried plum fruit or prunes are used as laxative and also as stomachic. The seed contains amygdalin and prusin which break down in water to form hydrocyanic acid and prussic acid. Amydalin has been illegally used for treating cancer but has now been proven to be not effective for cancer. Prunes are useful to treat constipation, anemia, menstrual disorders, and sore throat.
- Constipation: Prune has long had the reputation of being an outstanding laxative agent for constipated bowels. If constipation is a problem, try gradually increasing the amount of fiber in diet, particularly fiber rich prune. To treat constipation in babies, try feeding soaked and blended prune. It is a time – honored source of dietary fiber which helps to speed up a sluggish intestine.
- High Fiber: A single prune contains approximately 1gm of fiber. Try adding them as a regular part of breakfast. Dried prune is good choice for treating constipation. Prune contains a compound called dihydroxyphenyl isatin, which stimulates the intestinal contractions that make you want to go.
- Source of Energy: It is a good source of energy in the form of simple sugars, but do not mediate a rapid rise in blood sugar concentration, possibly because of high fiber, fructose, and sorbitol content.
- Emesis in Dogs: The crude extract of the fruit was found effective in controlling centrally induced emesis in dogs.
- Edible Flowers: Prune kernel oil is made from the fleshy seed kernel inside the pit. Plum flowers are also edible. They are used as garnish for salads and ice-cream or brewed into a tea plum-jam and dried prune.
- Natural Dye: Green, dark grey and yellow dyes can be obtained from the leaves, fruit and bark respectively.
- Gum: The gum from the stem can be used as adhesive.
- Face Masks: Ground seeds are used in cosmetics in the production of face masks for dry skin.
- Wood for Instruments: The wood can be used for making musical instruments.
Side Effects
Prunes sometimes may tend to produce gas. Avoid them if they give you trouble.
FAQs.
Q. Which is better dried or fresh prunes? Are dried prunes high in sugar?
Fresh prunes are a rich source of phenolic compounds, many of them concentrated in the skin of the fruit, which contains about 5 times more phenolics per unit of weight than the pulp. Dried prunes contain higher amounts of phenolic compounds than fresh prune – making plums, because dehydration concentrates the constituents despite partial degradation. Compared with fresh prune plums, the concentration of sugar increases in dried prunes, because of the dehydration, but there are also qualitative changes in the proportion of individual sugars. The most striking change is the nearly total disappearance of sucrose, which is hydrolyzed to glucose and fructose during processing.
Q. What vitamins are prunes high in? Do prunes contain vitamin K2?
Prune is a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B3 (niacin or nicotinic acid), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine, Pyridoxal, Pyridoxamine), potassium, copper, boron, iron, soluble fiber and phytoestrogens.
- Vitamin A is essential for growth and vitality.
- Vitamin B3 is essential for proper circulation, healthy functioning of the nervous system and proper protein and carbohydrate metabolism.
- Copper helps in the conversion of iron into hemoglobin and it stimulates the growth of red blood cells.
- Boron is a mineral, helpful in alleviating the symptoms of menopause, increases the body’s ability to hold on to estrogen and also helps keeps bones strong by decreasing the amount of calcium lost by the body.
- Potassium helps to reduce muscle cramps. Iron build the blood and correct anemia.
- Soluble fiber helps to soften stool by turning themselves into gel in the intestines.