What are the benefits and effects of yacon? Why does yacon crack?

Yacon is rich in water content and dietary fiber, which can promote the digestion and absorption of food. It has a crisp and tender taste and can moisten the lungs and relieve dryness, so it is suitable for consumption in the dry autumn and winter seasons. Yacon has other benefits and functions, let's learn more about it!

Contents of this article

1. Benefits and functions of yacon

2. Why did the yacon crack?

3. The best time to eat yacon

4. How to store the cut yacon

Benefits and Functions of Yacon

Yacon is a natural green health product. When people eat yacon, they can cool down, clear away heat and detoxify, strengthen the stomach and intestines, and soften blood vessels. It is rich in protein, algae keratin, and amino acids, and can remove phlegm, resist bacteria, activate blood circulation, and lower blood pressure. It is also a delicious delicacy in hotels. Yacon has a good effect in removing cold, regulating menstruation, and stopping bleeding. If you have symptoms such as weak waist and knees, uterine bleeding, irregular menstruation, rheumatoid arthritis, and traumatic bleeding, female friends can use yacon to relieve them.

1. Regulate blood

It can lower blood sugar, blood lipids and cholesterol, prevent and treat hypertension and diabetes, and also has a certain effect on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and obesity.

2. Helps digestion

Regulate and improve the adverse conditions of the digestive system. Because yacon is rich in water-soluble dietary fiber and the highest content of fructooligosaccharides among all plants, it can significantly promote gastrointestinal motility, moisturize the intestines and promote bowel movements. It can not only eliminate constipation, but also prevent and treat diarrhea. It is the nemesis of gastrointestinal diseases.

3. Anti-oxidation

Eliminating free radicals can reduce or avoid the occurrence of stones.

4. Has the function of clearing liver and detoxifying

It has the effect of lowering internal heat and blood pressure, and is an effective way to prevent and treat acne and pimples, and is a natural health product for beauty. Yacon also contains more than 20 essential amino acids and minerals and trace elements such as calcium, iron, potassium, and selenium. Regular consumption can improve the body's immunity; it has the effect of strengthening the body, and is also a natural Viagra for men to enhance their sexual function.

Why did the yacon fruit crack?

1. Variety

Some varieties have severe fruit cracking. In the late stage of fruit development, some varieties have a certain expansion pressure caused by the rapid expansion of the fruit, which leads to fruit cracking. The Ukrainian series of varieties have severe fruit cracking, such as Zaodaguo and Juezhe, with a fruit cracking rate of more than 40%. Varieties with good flesh elasticity have light fruit cracking, while varieties with hard flesh have severe fruit cracking, such as Hongyan and Hongmi, which have light fruit cracking, and Brooks and Red Lantern, which have severe fruit cracking. Fruits with a high fruit setting rate have light fruit cracking, while fruits with a low fruit setting rate have severe fruit cracking. Trees with a high fruit setting rate provide relatively less water and nutrition per fruit on average, and the fruit expansion rate slows down, resulting in lighter fruit cracking. This is also one of the reasons why fruits with a high fruit setting rate mature late, such as Labins, Pioneer, Sato Nishiki, which have light fruit cracking, and Rainey, which have severe fruit cracking.

2. Soil

The fruit cracking is less in sandy loam with loose soil and good drainage conditions, while the fruit cracking is more severe in clay soil with poor drainage conditions. Clay soil has poor soil permeability. After rain or watering, water is not easy to lose, which increases the soil water content. If the soil contains too much water, a large amount of water absorbed by the root system is transported to the fruit, and the fruit cells swell due to water absorption and cracking. After watering, the sandy loam with good drainage quickly penetrates the water, and the soil is not easy to harden. The soil has good water retention capacity and the root system absorbs water evenly, so it is not easy to crack the fruit. For example, some sandy soils, mountainous areas, and plots with high organic matter content have less fruit cracking.

3. Moisture

When the fruit is close to maturity, it rains or floods, causing a sharp change in soil moisture. Water is transported to the fruit through the root system, causing the flesh cells to swell rapidly, increasing the expansion pressure in the fruit, bursting the peel, and causing the fruit to crack. The rapid change in the moisture content in the air can also cause fruit cracking. If it is cloudy or rainy during the fruit maturity period, causing the air humidity in the greenhouse to increase (above 80%), and the humidity in the greenhouse drops sharply after a sunny day or when the air is suddenly ventilated, it can also cause a large number of fruit cracking.

4. Weather

When the weather is clear and the fruit is ripe, the fruit cracking is light, but when it is often cloudy and rainy, the fruit cracking is severe.

5. Other reasons

Low calcium and potassium content in the fruit can also cause fruit cracking. According to measurements, sweet cherries with high calcium content have less fruit cracking.

The best time to eat yacon

1. During the year

Yacon matures around October. At this time, the yacon is rich in water content, has a crisp and tender taste, and has a certain effect of moistening the lungs and relieving dryness, so it is suitable for consumption in the dry autumn and winter seasons.

2. During the day

Yacon is rich in dietary fiber, which can promote the digestion and absorption of food, has a certain effect on digestion and prevents constipation, so yacon is suitable to be eaten one hour after a meal.

How to store cut yacon

Soak the cut yacon in clean water. The main purpose is to isolate oxygen, slow down the oxidation process, and prevent the yacon from turning black.

Place the cut yacon on a plate and cover it with plastic wrap. It is best to drive out excess air and refrigerate the yacon in the refrigerator. This will isolate some oxygen, lower the temperature, and inhibit the browning reaction.

If you are not particularly particular about how to cook yacon, you can blanch the cut yacon in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. This will inactivate the browning enzyme through high temperature, and the degree of browning will be greatly reduced after the browning enzyme is inactivated.