Roviyas

Eating Fresh Durian

Eating Fresh Durian
As a durian approaches ripeness, the tough rind with its previously intimidating thorny spikes will now naturally, easily, and graciously unzip along hidden suture lines between the inner sections (or locules). Looking at a durian that has not naturally begun to split open, it can be puzzling to guess where these lines actually might be, zigzagging among the spikes—and surprising to find out where they actually are. Left to itself, as ripeness progresses, the a durian naturally starts cracking open from the bottom end, revealing and offering its inner fruit bounty to creatures large and small.

Malaysian durians (and other similar Southeast Asian varieties that are closer to the wild) are always allowed to naturally ripen and drop from the tree. They are always considered a little past their prime if they have any crack showing at all.
Thai varieties of durians are a different story; they are always cut from the tree while still green and allowed to ripen off the tree. (A Thai durian allowed to drop naturally from the tree is probably already past its prime). In my early experiences with Thai durians, I would look for the first slight sign of a crack along one of these lines at the bottom of the fruit, as an indication of ripeness. My inclination was to wait for the fruit to give a natural sign that it’s ready for eaters by making it easy to enter. I still tend to think that if you have to engage in a difficult wrestling or knifing match with a durian to get in, it’s too early. However, as I gained more experience, I discovered that Thai durians opened earlier than that (possible only with a knife), before any natural crack appeared, were usually more exquisite than the naturally-cracked fruits.

Early-ripe Thai durians like this usually have a bright freshness, more of a flavor complexity, and an intriguing and tasty succulent-crunchy component surrounding the custardy part, all of which is gone from the very creamy completely-ripe pulp. This cutting into durians, though, is a very tricky business (not to mention the hazard of the fruit’s sharp spikes). I have ruined more than a few Thai durians, or parts of them, that I estimated were at that special stage mentioned above, before they cracked, by cutting into them only to find that they were much too green. I’ve found that some Thai-variety durians may be at their prime when just a tiny first crack has appeared, but more often it’s a little before that.

(For another writers perspective and experience with this, read Bill Stimsons delightful essay "Opening a Durian" here.)

In Asia, durian is said to have "heaty" properties—eating very much will give your body a heated sensation for a brief period thereafter. I have found this to be true from my own experience. It’s not necessarily unpleasant, it just happens, and is part of the overall durian-eating experience (along with classic satisfied durian-scented burps!). Durian is not recommended eating if you have a high temperature from some illness, though. It follows that durian’s heatiness contributes a subtle paradoxical appeal and delight to durian ice cream.

I’ve noticed that durians wrapped in a newspaper and plastic bag for awhile do emit actual heat — the fruit and wrapping and air inside all get heated up. A pity durians aren’t common in cold climates, and that their heat is wasted on tropical residents who already have a lavish abundance of it! Certain other fruits such as mangosteen and citrus are said to have "cooling" properties and are recommended as an antidote to a feeling of having eaten too much durian (and it can be hard to stop!) A different kind of remedy (from Bao Sheng Durian Farm) is to pour water into an empty durian shell, sprinkle table salt into it, mix well and drink; something in the shell walls, combined with salt, makes an effective antidote to excessive durian heatiness.

More useful eating tips from Bao Sheng Farm:

• If eating several varieties of durian at the same time, eat the best last because the best’s aroma and flavor will cover all the others, and if you eat the best first, you won’t be able to experience the others.
• If faced with the pleasant task of eating several varieties, the preferred order of eating is the more moist varieties first, ending with the more "gummy" varieties (which are regarded in Malaysia as the best). (This is more a Malaysian-style durian situation, as Thai varieties of durians are generally larger, people tend to eat only one Thai variety at a time, and there are fewer choices of variety in the marketplace.)
• To remove the odor of durian from your hands, wash your hands with durian seeds; amazing, but it works (thanks again to T.S. Chang at Bao Sheng Durian Farm in Malaysia).
  Durian is not recommended for consuming with alcoholic beverages, as the combination of natural substances is a powerful producer of internal gas.
  Sound durian fruit will store satisfactorily in refrigeration for up to 3 weeks at 59º F. [15º C.].

Durian is not only exquisitely delicious but richly nutritious, a complete natural meal in itself high in carbohydrate, proteins, fat, minerals, and vitamins. The exact nutritional composition of a ripe durian can vary greatly, depending on soil richness, growing methods, climate conditions, and variety. The range of nutritional values for 100 grams [about 3 ½ ounces] of the fresh pulp (aril) reported from seven different sources are:

Durian Nutritional Characteristics (average per 100 grams)
calories	134-153	carotene (Vit. A)	20-30 IU
moisture	58-70 g	thiamin (Vit. B1)	0.20-0.28 mg
protein	2.0-3.3 g	riboflavin (Vit. B2)	0.10-0.28 mg
carbohydrates	30.0-36.1 g	niacin	0 .68-1.1 mg
fat	1.2-4.3 g	Vitamin C	23-62 mg
calcium	7.4-18 mg	Vitamin E	"high"
phosphorus	27-56 mg	trace minerals	"many"
iron	0.73-2.0 mg	mana (intangible life energy)	"powerful"

CREDIT BY :http://www.durianpalace.com

Available link for download

Eating Small Applications and Implications for Nanotechnology in Agriculture and the Food Industry

The following will be published next month in the journal Science Progress http://www.sciencereviews2000.co.uk/view/journal/science-progress, which I am an editor of - so, this is a preview!


1. Introduction.

That synthesis might be undertaken by the direct manipulation of atoms was suggested by Richard Feynman in 1959, although term "nano-technology"¹ was not coined until 1974, by Norio Taniguchi. In 1986, K. Eric Drexler published his book Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology, which contained the notion of a nanoscale "assembler" with the capacity to build copies of itself and other items, by atomic level manipulation. The groundbreaking invention, in 1981, of the scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) demonstrated that individual atoms could be visualised, and the technology was further developed to physically move adsorbed atoms and molecules around on a surface². Notable examples²demonstrated for publicity purposes are the sign-writing of "IBM" using 35 xenon atoms on a Ni(110) surface, and of "2000" using 47 CO molecules on a Cu(211) surface, by researchers in the eponymous organisation, to auger in the new millennium. Considerably larger molecules can also be moved using an STM tip, for example 1,4-diiodobenzene and biphenyl, which have been towed around on  copper surfaces. The tunnelling electrons may also be used to initiate chemical reactions, the products of which can be subsequently manipulated over the surface, so providing proof of chemical change having occurred, e.g. the conversion of iodobenzene to biphenyl. As a definition, nanotechnology (nanotech) can be described as the manipulation of matter over an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular dimension. Molecular nanotechnology is the intention of manipulating atoms and molecules, so to create macroscale products. The prefix “nano” is derived from the Greek word meaning “dwarf”. The U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative³ defines nanotechnology as, “the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension in the range 1—100 nanometers (nm)”, where quantum mechanical effects become increasingly important as the smaller end of the range is accessed. It is critical that the particular materials, and devices made from them, should possess properties that are different from the bulk (micrometric or larger) materials, as a consequence of their small size, which may include enhanced mechanical strength, chemical reactivity, electrical conductivity, magnetism and optical effects (e.g. Figure 1).

One nm is one billionth, or 10^?9, of a meter, which in relative size to a meter is about the same as that of a marble to the Earth.⁴ Placed in a different context, an average mans beard grows about one nm in the time it takes him to lift the razor to his face.⁴ The lower limit is set by the size of atoms, which are the fundamental building blocks of nanotechnology devices, while the upper limit is of a more arbitrary quality but is of the dimension at which the particular phenomena of the quantum realm begin to appear, which are essential to the nano-device. A device that is merely a miniaturised form of an equivalent macroscopic version does not conform to nanotechnology, lacking these particular phenomena, but is classified under the heading microtechnology.⁵ In regard to the fabrication of nanodevices, we find the "bottom-up" approach, where materials and devices are constructed from molecular components which self-assemble via molecular recognition, while in the "top-down" approach, nano-objects are built from larger entities, not involving control at an atomic level.⁶

The plural forms "nanotechnologies" and "nanoscale technologies" thus refer to the many and various aspects, devices and their applications that have in common this scale of the quantum realm. Indeed, there are multifarious potential applications of nanoscale materials, including industrial and military uses, as attested by the investment of $3.7 billion, by the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative, $1.2 billion by the European Union and $ 750 million in Japan.¹ It may be that nanotechnology can provide advances in medicine, electronics, biomaterials, energy production and, as is the subject of this article, in agriculture and more broadly in the food industry. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of those same issues as when any new technology is inaugurated, e.g. concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials,¹and their potential effects on global economics, in addition to speculation over potential doomsday scenarios (“grey goo”), most emphatically dramatised by the late Michel Crighton in his novel Prey⁷. The Royal Societys report on nanotechnology contains examples of some of the definitions and potential implications of nanotechnologies.⁸ Commercial products, so far, are limited¹ to bulk applications of nanomaterials, rather than atomic scale synthesis, e.g. the use of silver nanoparticles as a bactericide, nanoparticle-based transparent sunscreens, and stain-resistant textiles based on carbon nanotubes.The aspects embraced by nanotechnology are broad, and there is much work and concern over the large-scale employment of engineered nanoparticles (ENMs) and their effects on the environment, agriculture, and plants, and the humans who consume them directly. Moreover, as this short survey attempts to indicate, there is also now a considerable body of work in the applications of nanoscale technology to agriculture and the food industry. Indeed, an ACS Select was recently published on this topic⁹.Thus may be provided novel sensors intended to improve the quality and safety of food, along with methods of packaging that will amend the storage and delivery of foodstuffs. 

According to the researchers and stakeholders, revolutionary advances can be anticipated during the next 10-15 years, principally through a convergence of nanotechnology, biotechnology and agricultural and environmental sciences, of which the following have been listed⁹:

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