Apricot Explained

An apricot is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus Prunus.

Usually an apricot is from the species P. armeniaca, but the fruits of the other species in Prunus sect. Armeniaca are also called apricots.[1] In 2022, world production of apricots was 3.9 million tonnes, led by Turkey with 21% of the total.

Etymology

Apricot first appeared in English in the 16th century as abrecock from the Middle French aubercot or later abricot,[2] from Spanish albaricoque and Catalan a(l)bercoc, in turn from Arabic الْبَرْقُوق (al-barqūq, "the plums"), from Byzantine Greek βερικοκκίᾱ (berikokkíā, "apricot tree"), derived from late Greek πραικόκιον (praikókion, "apricot") from Latin [persica ("peach")] praecocia (praecoquus, "early ripening").[3]

Description

The apricot is a small tree, 8m–12mm (26feet–39feetm) tall, with a trunk up to 40cm (20inches) in diameter and a dense, spreading canopy. The leaves are ovate, 5– long, and 4– wide, with a rounded base, a pointed tip, and a finely serrated margin. The flowers are 2– in diameter, with five white to pinkish petals; they are produced singly or in pairs in early spring before the leaves. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) similar to a small peach, 1.5– diameter (larger in some modern cultivars), from yellow to orange, often tinged red on the side most exposed to the sun; its surface can be smooth (botanically described as: glabrous) or velvety with very short hairs (botanically: pubescent). The flesh is usually succulent, but dry in some species such as P. sibirica. Its taste can range from sweet to tart. The single seed or "kernel" is enclosed in a hard shell, often called a "stone", with a grainy, smooth texture except for three ridges running down one side.[4] [5]

Phytochemistry

Apricots contain various phytochemicals, such as provitamin A beta-carotene and polyphenols, including catechins and chlorogenic acid.[6] Taste and aroma compounds include sucrose, glucose, organic acids, terpenes, aldehydes and lactones.[7]

Species

Apricots are species belonging to Prunus sect. Armeniaca. The taxonomic position of P. brigantina is disputed. It is grouped with plum species according to chloroplast DNA sequences,[8] but more closely related to apricot species according to nuclear DNA sequences.[9]

Cultivation

Origin and domestication

Prunus armeniaca

The most commonly cultivated apricot P. armeniaca was known in Armenia during ancient times, and has been cultivated there for so long that it was previously thought to have originated there, hence the epithet of its scientific name.[10] However, this is not supported by genetic studies, which instead confirm the hypothesis proposed by Nikolai Vavilov that domestication of P. armeniaca occurred in Central Asia and China.[11] [12] The domesticated apricot then diffused south to South Asia, west to West Asia (including Armenia), Europe and North Africa, and east to Japan.

Prunus mume

Japanese apricot P. mume is another widely cultivated apricot species, usually for ornamental uses. Despite the common name, it originated from China, and was introduced to Japan in ancient times.

Cultivation practices

Apricots have a chilling requirement of 300 to 900 chilling units. A dry climate is good for fruit maturation. The tree is slightly more cold-hardy than the peach, tolerating winter temperatures as cold as or lower if healthy. However, large differences are observed between cultivars in frost resistance.[13] They are hardy in USDA zones 5 through 8. A limiting factor in apricot culture is spring frosts: They tend to flower very early (in early March in western Europe), and spring frost can kill flowers or before flower buds in different stages of development.[13] Furthermore, the trees are sensitive to temperature changes during the winter season. In China, winters can be very cold, but temperatures tend to be more stable than in Europe and especially North America, where large temperature swings can occur in winter. Hybridization with the closely related Prunus sibirica (Siberian apricot; hardy to but with less palatable fruit) offers options for breeding more cold-tolerant plants.[14] They prefer well-drained soils with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.[15]

Apricot cultivars are usually grafted onto plum or peach rootstocks. The cultivar scion provides the fruit characteristics, such as flavor and size, but the rootstock provides the growth characteristics of the plant. Some of the more popular US apricot cultivars are 'Blenheim', 'Wenatchee Moorpark', 'Tilton', and 'Perfection'. Some apricot cultivars are self-compatible, so do not require pollinizer trees; others are not: 'Moongold' and 'Sungold', for example, must be planted in pairs so they can pollinate each other.[16]

Hybridisors have created what is known as a "black apricot" or "purple apricot", (Prunus dasycarpa), a hybrid of an apricot and the cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera). Other apricot–plum hybrids are variously called plumcots, apriplums, pluots, or apriums.[17]

Pests and diseases

Apricots are susceptible to various diseases whose relative importance differs in the major production regions as a consequence of their climatic differences. For example, hot weather as experienced in California's Central Valley often causes pit burn, a condition of soft and brown fruit around the pit.[18] Bacterial diseases include bacterial spot and crown gall. Fungal diseases include brown rot caused by Monilinia fructicola: infection of the blossom by rainfall leads to "blossom wilt"[19] whereby the blossoms and young shoots turn brown and die; the twigs die back in a severe attack; brown rot of the fruit is due to Monilinia infection later in the season. Dieback of branches in the summer is attributed to the fungus Eutypa lata, where examination of the base of the dead branch reveals a canker surrounding a pruning wound.[20] Other fungal diseases are black knot, Alternaria spot and fruit rot, and powdery mildew.[21] Unlike peaches, apricots are not affected by leaf curl, and bacterial canker (causing sunken patches in the bark, which then spread and kill the affected branch or tree) and silver leaf are not serious threats, which means that pruning in late winter is considered safe.

Kernel

See main article: Apricot kernel. Due to their natural amygdalin content, culinary uses for the kernel are limited. Oil made from apricot kernels is safe for human consumption without treatment because amygdalin is not oil soluble. Ground up shells are used in cosmetics as an exfoliant.[22] As an exfoliant, it provides an alternative to plastic microbeads.[23]

Apricot production – 2022
Countrymillions of tonnes
0.80
0.45
0.31
0.23
0.20
World 3.86
Source: FAOSTAT, United Nations

Production

See also: List of countries by apricot production.

See main article: List of apricot diseases.

In 2022, world production of apricots was 3.86 million tonnes, led by Turkey with 21% of the total (table). Other major producers (in descending order) were Uzbekistan, Iran, Italy, and Algeria.[24] Malatya is the center of Turkey's apricot industry.[25]

Toxicity

Apricot kernels (seeds) contain amygdalin, a poisonous compound. On average, bitter apricot kernels contain about 5% amygdalin and sweet kernels about 0.9% amygdalin. These values correspond to 0.3% and 0.05% of cyanide. Since a typical apricot kernel weighs 600 mg, bitter and sweet varieties contain, respectively, 1.8 and 0.3 mg of cyanide.[26]

Uses

Apricot kernels can be made into a plant milk.[27] Apricots are commonly consumed either as raw fruit or after dehydration as a dried fruit.

Nutrition

In a reference amount of, raw apricots supply 48 Calories and are composed of 11% carbohydrates, 1% protein, less than 1% fat, and 86% water (table). Raw apricots are a moderate source of vitamin A and vitamin C (11% of the Daily Value each).

Dried apricots

See main article: Dried apricot.

Dried apricots are a type of traditional dried fruit. Dried apricots are 63% carbohydrates, 31% water, 4% protein, and contain negligible fat. When apricots are dried, the relative concentration of micronutrients is increased, with vitamin A, vitamin E, and potassium having rich contents (Daily Values above 20%, table).

In culture

The apricot is the national fruit of Armenia, mostly growing in the Ararat plain.[28] [29] It is often depicted on souvenirs.[30]

The Chinese associate the apricot with education and medicine. For instance, the classical word 杏 壇 (literally: "apricot altar") (xìng tán 杏坛) which means "educational circle", is still widely used in written language. Chuang Tzu, a Chinese philosopher in the fourth century BC, told a story that Confucius taught his students in a forum surrounded by the wood of apricot trees.[31] The association with medicine in turn comes from the common use of apricot kernels as a component in traditional Chinese medicine, and from the story of Dong Feng (董奉), a physician during the Three Kingdoms period, who required no payment from his patients except that they plant apricot trees in his orchard upon recovering from their illnesses, resulting in a large grove of apricot trees and a steady supply of medicinal ingredients.[32] The term "expert of the apricot grove" (杏林高手) is still used as a poetic reference to physicians.

The fact that apricot season is short and unreliable in Egypt has given rise to the common Egyptian Arabic and Palestinian Arabic expression filmishmish ("in apricot [season]") or bukra filmishmish ("tomorrow in apricot [season]"), generally uttered as a riposte to an unlikely prediction, or as a rash promise to fulfill a request.[33] This adynaton has the same sense as the English expression "when pigs fly".[34]

In Middle Eastern and North African cuisines, apricots are used to make Qamar al-Din ("Moon of the faith"), a thick apricot drink that is a popular fixture at Iftar during Ramadan. Qamar al-Din is believed to originate in Damascus, Syria, where the variety of apricots most suitable for the drink was first grown.[35] [36]

In Jewish culture, apricots are commonly eaten as part of the Tu Bishvat seder.[37]

The Turkish idiom bundan iyisi Şam'da kayısı (literally, "the only thing better than this is an apricot in Damascus") means "it doesn't get any better than this".

In the U.S. Marines it is considered exceptionally bad luck to eat or possess apricots,[38] especially near tanks.[39] This superstition has been documented since at least the Vietnam War and is often cited as originating in World War II. Even calling them by their name is considered unlucky,[40] so they are instead called "cots",[41] "Forbidden fruit" or "A-fruit".[42]

US astronauts ate dried apricot on the Apollo 15 and Apollo 17 missions to the moon.[43]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Shi. Shuo. Li. Jinlu. Sun. Jiahui. Yu. Jing. Zhou. Shiliang. 2013. Phylogeny and classification of Prunus sensu lato (Rosaceae). Journal of Integrative Plant Biology. en. 55. 11. 1069–1079. 10.1111/jipb.12095. 1744-7909. 23945216. 2021-02-16. 2021-01-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20210128010507/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jipb.12095. live.
  2. "abricot (French) ". Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales.
  3. Web site: Dean . Sam . On the Etymology of the Word Apricot . 9 May 2013 . Bon Appetit . 22 October 2018 . 22 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181022154729/https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/on-the-etymology-of-the-word-apricot . live .
  4. Flora of China: Armeniaca
  5. Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins .
  6. Campbell . O. E. . Merwin . I. A. . Padilla-Zakour . O. I. . 2013 . Characterization and the effect of maturity at harvest on the phenolic and carotenoid content of Northeast USA Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) varieties . Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry . 61 . 51 . 12700–10 . 10.1021/jf403644r . 24328399.
  7. Xi . W . Zheng . H . Zhang . Q . Li . W . 2016 . Profiling Taste and Aroma Compound Metabolism during Apricot Fruit Development and Ripening . International Journal of Molecular Sciences . 17 . 7 . 998 . 10.3390/ijms17070998 . 4964374 . 27347931 . free.
  8. Reales . Antonio . Sargent . Daniel J. . Tobutt . Ken R. . Rivera . Diego . 2010-01-01 . Phylogenetics of Eurasian plums, Prunus L. section Prunus (Rosaceae), according to coding and non-coding chloroplast DNA sequences . live . Tree Genetics & Genomes . en . 6 . 1 . 37–45 . 10.1007/s11295-009-0226-9 . 1614-2950 . 31215875 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230116102520/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11295-009-0226-9 . 2023-01-16 . 2021-03-29.
  9. Liu . Shuo . Decroocq . Stephane . Harte . Elodie . Tricon . David . Chague . Aurelie . Balakishiyeva . Gulnara . Kostritsyna . Tatiana . Turdiev . Timur . Saux . Marion Fisher-Le . Dallot . Sylvie . Giraud . Tatiana . 2021-01-05 . Genetic diversity and population structure analyses in the Alpine plum (Prunus brigantina Vill.) confirm its affiliation to the Armeniaca section . live . Tree Genetics & Genomes . en . 17 . 1 . 2 . 10.1007/s11295-020-01484-6 . 1614-2950 . 230795948 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230116102525/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11295-020-01484-6 . 2023-01-16 . 2021-03-29.
  10. Web site: VII Symposium on Apricot Culture and Decline . International Society for Horticultural Science . 2012-06-22 . 2003-05-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20030521122201/http://www.actahort.org/books/121/121_36.htm . live .
  11. Liu. Shuo. Cornille. Amandine. Decroocq. Stéphane. Tricon. David. Chague. Aurélie. Eyquard. Jean-Philippe. Liu. Wei-Sheng. Giraud. Tatiana. Decroocq. Véronique. 2019. The complex evolutionary history of apricots: Species divergence, gene flow and multiple domestication events. Molecular Ecology. en. 28. 24. 5299–5314. 10.1111/mec.15296. 31677192. 2019MolEc..28.5299L . 207833328. 1365-294X. 2021-02-17. 2020-06-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20200623104145/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mec.15296. live.
  12. Bourguiba. Hedia. Scotti. Ivan. Sauvage. Christopher. Zhebentyayeva. Tetyana. Ledbetter. Craig. Krška. Boris. Remay. Arnaud. D’Onofrio. Claudio. Iketani. Hiroyuki. Christen. Danilo. Krichen. Lamia. 2020. Genetic structure of a worldwide germplasm collection of Prunus armeniaca L. reveals three major diffusion routes for varieties coming from the species' center of origin. Frontiers in Plant Science. English. 11. 638. 10.3389/fpls.2020.00638. 1664-462X. 7261834. 32523597. free.
  13. Bakos J, Ladányi M, Szalay L . Frost hardiness of flower buds of 16 apricot cultivars during dormancy . . 36 . 1 . 81–93 . April 2024 . 10.2478/fhort-2024-0005. Polish Society of Horticultural Science . free .
  14. Web site: Prunus sibirica Siberian Apricot PFAF Plant Database . pfaf.org . 2013-11-17 . 2021-11-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211116010950/https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Prunus+sibirica . live .
  15. Web site: Apricots . 2023-01-27 . www.rhs.org.uk . en-gb.
  16. Herrera . Sara . Lora . Jorge . Hormaza . José I. . Herrero . Maria . Rodrigo . Javier . 2018 . Optimizing Production in the New Generation of Apricot Cultivars: Self-incompatibility, S-RNase Allele Identification, and Incompatibility Group Assignment . Frontiers in Plant Science . 9 . 527 . 10.3389/fpls.2018.00527. 29755489 . 5935046 . 1664-462X. free .
  17. Web site: 2023-01-10 . Adorable Apricots – The Essential Guide to probably everything you need to know about growing Apricot – Prunus armeniaca . 2023-01-27 . The Permaculture Research Institute . en-US.
  18. Book: Ingels, Chuck . etal . The Home Orchard: Growing Your Own Deciduous Fruit and Nut Trees. 978-1-879906-72-3 . 27 . 2007 . University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
  19. Book: The Fruit Expert. Hessayon, D.G. . D. G. Hessayon. Expert Books. 2004. London.
  20. Munkvold. Gary P.. Eutypa Dieback of Grapevine and Apricot. Plant Health Progress. 2001. 2. 9. 10.1094/PHP-2001-0219-01-DG. free.
  21. http://www.apsnet.org/publications/commonnames/Pages/Apricot.aspx Diseases of Apricot
  22. Web site: Southey . Flora . Are fruit seeds the new nuts? . foodnavigator.com . 14 May 2021 . Food Navigator . 9 May 2022 . 24 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220524084606/https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2021/05/14/Are-fruit-seeds-the-new-nuts-Meet-the-start-up-upcycling-fruit-kernels-into-oil-flour-and-alt-milk . live .
  23. Web site: Pierre-Louis . Kendra . 800 Trillion Plastic Microbeads Go Down Drains Every Day . pbs.org . 8 October 2015 . PBS . 9 May 2022 . 9 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220509180540/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/800-trillion-plastic-microbeads-go-down-drains-every-day/ . live .
  24. Web site: Production Quantities of Apricots by Country in 2022; Crops/World Regions/Production Quantity/Year from picklists. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Statistics Division (FAOSTAT). 2024. 28 May 2024.
  25. Web site: Denker . Joel . 'Moon Of The Faith:' A History Of The Apricot And Its Many Pleasures . npr.org . 14 June 2016 . National Public Radio . 9 May 2022 . 8 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190808231633/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/14/481932829/moon-of-the-faith-a-history-of-the-apricot-and-its-many-pleasures . live .
  26. Web site: 27 April 2016 . Apricot kernels pose risk of cyanide poisoning EFSA . 2023-01-27 . www.efsa.europa.eu . en.
  27. Web site: Cornall . Jim . 10 March 2022 . The latest in dairy alternatives: Taiwan company debuts apricot kernel drink . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220314091711/https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2022/03/10/the-latest-in-dairy-alternatives-taiwan-company-debuts-apricot-kernel-drink . 14 March 2022 . 9 May 2022 . dairyreporter.com . Dairy Reporter.
  28. Lehmann . Maike . Apricot Socialism: The National Past, the Soviet Project, and the Imagining of Community in Late Soviet Armenia . . 2015 . 74 . 1 . 13 . 10.5612/slavicreview.74.1.9 . 155915149 . The apricot, being the Armenian national fruit....
  29. News: Grigoryan . Marianna . Apricot Farmers Struggling in Armenia amid Crop Failure . . 25 June 2010 . 15 July 2018 . 14 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180714222018/https://eurasianet.org/node/61408 . live .
  30. News: Schleifer . Yigal . More on Armenia's Bitter Apricot Harvest . . 2 July 2010 . 15 July 2018 . As a symbol of national pride the image of apricots is included in Armenian souvenirs. . https://web.archive.org/web/20180714222051/https://eurasianet.org/s/more-on-armenias-bitter-apricot-harvest . 14 July 2018 . dead .
  31. Web site: 《莊子·漁父》 . Ctext.org . 2012-06-22 . 2013-05-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130522232728/http://ctext.org/zhuangzi/old-fisherman . live .
  32. 1376720. Chinese Confucian culture and the medical ethical tradition. Guo. Zhaojiang. 1995. 21 . 4. 239–246. 7473645. Journal of Medical Ethics. 10.1136/jme.21.4.239.
  33. Web site: Al Qasimi. Nouf . There's an old Arabic proverb: You can have apricots tomorrow . . 16 August 2012 . 18 August 2023.
  34. Web site: Al Qasimi. Nouf . Mish Mish . Jewish Film Institute . 18 August 2023.
  35. News: Robertson. Amy. All Over The World, Thirsty Muslims Have Their Ramadan Go-To Drinks. NPR. 2018-05-22. 2017-06-08. 2019-08-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20190807175000/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/06/08/530893651/all-over-the-world-thirsty-muslims-have-their-ramadan-go-to-drinks. live.
  36. News: Denker. Joel. 'Moon Of The Faith:' A History Of The Apricot And Its Many Pleasures. NPR. 2018-05-22. 2016-06-14. 2019-08-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20190808231633/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/14/481932829/moon-of-the-faith-a-history-of-the-apricot-and-its-many-pleasures. live.
  37. Web site: Administrator . 2018-01-21 . The Tu B'Shevat Seder . 2023-01-27 . Anglo-List . en-US.
  38. Web site: Taste for Apricots Canned at Cua Viet . US Marines Armored Tractor Division . S.SGT. Bob Donner . 2017-09-02 . 2017-09-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170906133954/http://www.amtrac.org/1atbn/Interest/Apricots.asp . live .
  39. Web site: Apricots, AAVs no happy pair . Cpl. Derek A. Shoemake . October 27, 2000 . September 2, 2017 . September 2, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170902141914/http://www.26thmeu.marines.mil/News/News-Article-Display/Article/516281/apricots-aavs-no-happy-pair/ . live .
  40. News: Superstitions Abound at Camp As Soldiers Await War in Iraq . Michael M. Phillips . March 3, 2003 . September 2, 2017 . September 2, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170902150634/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1046642100123140320 . live .
  41. Book: War Slang: American Fighting Words & Phrases Since the Civil War. registration. Paul Dickson . 1994 . 267. Pocket Books. 9780671750220.
  42. Web site: Sicard . Sarah . 2021-05-23 . Why tankers are terrified of apricots . 2023-01-27 . . en.
  43. Web site: Bendix . Aria . From applesauce in a tube to 'space noodles,' here's how astronaut food has evolved from the 1960s to today . 2024-04-23 . Business Insider . en-US.

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