Fruits are edible, succulent products of plants or trees. With but few exceptions, they contain little nourishment. Nevertheless, they are considered a very essential part of the diet, owing to the large amount of refreshing juices they contain, also the mineral matter and large amount of water.

Most fresh fruits contain about 90 per cent water and a large amount of cellulose. They contain no fat, a very small amount of protein, and when ripe a very small amount of starch, most of the starch having been converted into sugars and gums in process of ripening. One of these gums is called pectin, a substance which is absolutely essential in the making of jelly. It has the property of gelatinizing when boiled.

In the drying of fruits, most of the water has evaporated. They should for that reason be soaked several hours before being cooked in order to restore some of the moisture.

Classification Of Fruits

Stone Fruits - Peach, apricot, plum, cherry, olive, grape.

Pome Fruits - Apple, pear quince.

Berries - Strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, mulberry, cranberry, gooseberry, currant.

Citrous Fruits - Orange, lemon, grapefruit, lime, citron.

Protein in fruits is in form of extractives and flavors, and a slight amount of albumin.

Carbohydrate in form of sugar and starch in some fruits, such as bananas.

Cellulose found in nearly all fruits.

Tartaric acids found in grapes, raisins, currants.

Malic acid, found in apples, pears, peaches, quinces, apricots, and plums.

Citric acid, found in oranges, lemons, grapefruit.

Oxalic acid, found in strawberries.

Dried fruits contain from 50 to 75 per cent sugar.

Prunes are dried plums.

Raisins are dried grapes.

Currants are dried currants from Asia Minor or Greece.