The lemon is an important fruit of the citrus group and is highly esteemed as a health food all the world over. It is about 2.5 to 4 inches long and is a heavy fruit in comparison with its size. It has abundant juice and has a small number of seeds. It is generally oblong in size, but egg-shaped varieties are also found.
Lemon Cultivation and Production
The lemon is indigenous to India but is now widely grown in all tropical and subtropical countries of the world. It is grown everywhere in home gardens but is commercially produced in the Mediterranean countries and the U.S.A.
The U.S.A. is the largest producer of lemons today and the production is increasing every year in the country.
The plant is included in the same genus as oranges and lime and its cultivation has developed everywhere together with them.
It’s an exceedingly fruitful tree. In Sicily and S in, a thoroughly developed tree will yield near about 3,000 fruits in a good year or the average production per tree is about two to three hundred pounds per year.
Distinction Between Lemons and Limes
The lemon is sometimes mistaken for the lime. But the lime forms a smaller species and the bigger variety is known as lemons. While the lime is liked in the East, preference is given to lemons in the West. In the U.S.A. 13 million boxes of lemons were produced in the year 1950, but the production of lime was only 280 thousand boxes in the same year. The blossoms of the plant come out at all seasons and fruits are found on the tree in various stages of development all the year round.
Harvesting and Storage of Lemons
The tree comes into bearing in three or four years, but it is in its prime when it is six or seven years old. The fruits generally attain maturity in the winter, but their market demand is in the summer. So, in the West, they are stored in various ways, sometimes even for six months in big commercial gardens the fruits are harvested several times a year. They are gathered when they are yet green. When they are allowed to develop yellow colour on the tree they lose much of their keeping quality. In the U.S.A, the workers of the garden carry with them an iron ring, two and a quarter inches in diameter and they secure every fruit that won’t pass through it. In order that the lemons may be stored safely they are harvested with gloves on and handled with the greatest care possible. The lemon is one of the rare fruits, almost every part of which is used for human consumption.
Nutritional Composition of Lemons
The peel of the lemon forms 13 to 15 percent of the whole fruit, seeds 0 to 3 percent, water 77.93 to 88.54 percent, and solids 7.39 to 13.38 percent. Analysis of the fruit shows: Protein 0.76 to 1.14 percent, ash 0.42 percent to 0.74 percent, and carbohydrates 11.1 percent. It also contains sodium 6.0 mg., potassium 163, and calcium 0.26. phosphorus 20.7, sulfur 12.3, and chlorine 5.0 per 100 gms., besides nicotinic acid 0.1 and riboflavin 4 microgrammes per 100 gms.
It is principally esteemed for its anti-scorbutic value which is formed by its C vitamin content. On average, the whole fruit contains 45 mg. of C vitamin per 100 gms. But the juice contains more vitamin C than any other part of the fruit and its content is 60 mg. per 100 gms.
Health Benefits of Lemons
Anti-Scurvy Properties and Vitamin C Content
There was a time when scurvy was regarded as a plague of the sea. The disease was completely rooted out from the British Merchant, Navy after the compulsory introduction of lemon juice in the everyday meal of the sailors. All sailors, who remain in the sea for more than seven days are now regularly supplied with lemon juice every day. Its therapeutic value in many other diseases has also been generally recognised and it is now used as an accessory food all over the world. Vitamin C is now produced synthetically in large quantities, but the usefulness of lemon will never be lost, because it not only contains C Vitamin, but many other useful food ingredients
Therapeutic Uses and Medicinal Benefits
Particularly it is an important source of citric acid Different varieties contain this acid in different proportions from 3.71 to 8.40 per cent. It is rowing to its citric acid content which is extensively used in medicine. It is always used for relieves the symptoms by soothing the stomach as well as the nerves. It is also put to profitable use in dysentery and diarrhoea with repeated motions.
Digestive and Alkalizing Properties
The lemon juice acts as a sedative for the heart and allows troublesome palpitation. In high blood pressure with abdominal tension, it is believed to be helpful. For the sedative effect it exerts, it is used in haemorrhages from the lungs, bowels, kidneys, uterus and other parts of the body. In these cases, lemon juice is taken with water several times a day in doses of 4 to 6 drams.
Antimicrobial and Disinfectant Properties
The lemon juice stimulates the flow of saliva and gastric juice and is, therefore regarded as a digestive par excellence. For this reason, it is taken in loss of hunger and dyspepsia. It is also supposed to encourage bile secretion and is, therefore, advocated in jaundice and gravels. Though lemon juice is acidic to the taste, it turns into alkaline substances and helps to cure and prevent acidity and other-acid diseases. For this reason, it is recommended for gout and rheumatism.
It is believed that when sufficient lemon juice is taken it prevents the deposit of uric acid in the tissues and thus reduces the possibility of an attack of gout. Moreover, as a base-forming food, it is supposed to be helpful in preventing stone formation in any part of the body. Lemon juice is a natural disinfectant. It has been seen that fresh lemon juice can kill the diphtheria bacillus within a short time. But though it is destructive to the microbes, it is remarkable that it causes no damage to the body tissues. It may be used with impunity both internally and externally. Gargling with lemon water is advocated for painful gums, tonsilitis and sore throats.
The lemon juice is said to possess an anti-pneumonia factor and in France, it is regarded as a preventive for cold. In medicine, it is often prescribed for relieving the wind.
The juice of the fruit is mildly laxative: and often removes constipation when it is taken every day with a glass of cold water in the early morning.
According to Dr Jadu Nath Ganguly, B.A, M.B, “Lemon and lime juice is a good remedy in anorexia, scurvy, jaundice, gravel, atonic dyspepsia and alcohol habit.”
Vitamin P and Its Role in Controlling Hemorrhage
Lemon is a dependable source of vitamin P. It contains 1.75 mg of this vitamin in every 100 gms. It is found both in the juice and peel of the fruit. Vitamin P is necessary for controlling hemorrhage in a variety of conditions and for preventing capillary fragility. It is therefore regarded as a food of considerable importance in blood pressure with the possibility of a stroke.
Culinary Uses of Lemons
- Lemon is used in various ways. It is esteemed principally for its juice, which is mostly used as an accessory food. It increases the flavor and improves the taste of various dishes.
- Lemon juice has several culinary uses. As a harmless and helpful flavoring, it has hardly any equal in cooking. It is a good substitute for condiments and is often used in place of vinegar.
- It may profitably be used in the preparation of salads. It prevents the discoloration of sliced bananas and apples and increases the flavor of papaws and custard apples. Desserts also are often flavored with lemon juice.
- It is extensively used in the preparation of lemonades, squashes, jams, jellies and marmalades. In Russia, it is widely used together with tea.
Preservation and Processing of Lemons
It is remarkable that the lemon juice has a good keeping quality and it can be preserved for an indefinite period with some precautions. It is generally used in the West as a preserved food, but during the last few years two-thirds of the total lemon production has been used as fresh fruit every were.
Citric Acid Production and Utilization
Lemon juice is sometimes dried. It is used as a protection against scurvy by travelers and explorers in distant lands where lemons are not available. A huge quantity of lemon juice is used every year for the manufacture of citric acid, which is the principal constituent of lemons. As early as 1784, citric acid was first isolated in the crystalline form from the lemon juice and since then it has been used both as a food and medicine But the citric acid is now commercially produced from sugar solutions and pineapple canning residues. Yet the citric acid of lemon origin is still manufactured in Portugal and Sicily and has a great demand.”