Featured Fruit Product: Kale juice concentrate

Kale, like broccoli, cauliflower and collards, is a descendent of the wild cabbage, a plant thought to have originated in Asia Minor and to have been brought to Europe around 600 B.C. by groups of Celtic wanderers. Curly kale played an important role in early European foodways, having been a significant crop during ancient Roman times and a popular vegetable eaten by peasants in the Middle Ages. English settlers brought kale to the United States in the 17th century.

Both ornamental and dinosaur kale are much more recent varieties. Dinosaur kale was discovered in Italy in the late 19th century. Ornamental kale, originally a decorative garden plant, was first cultivated commercially as in the 1980s in California. Ornamental kale is now better known by the name salad savoy.

It is a fantastic vegetable source for Vitamins K, A (as beta carotene) and C, and various B vitamins and provides a nutritious and colorful vegetable ingredient for a wide variety of food and beverage products. It is also a great source of fiber, and a low fat source of important minerals like Calcium, Iron and Manganese.

This vegetable belongs to the cruciferous family of vegetables, which contain important sulfer containing cancer fighting phytochemicals like glucosinolates and methyl cysteine sulfoxide. Most important is sulphoraphane, a potent glucosinolate which is formed when cruciferous vegetables are chopped or chewed. Sulphoaphane triggers the liver to produce enzymes that detoxify the cancer causing chemicals

Human and animal studies consistently show that diets high in cruciferous vegetables like this vegetable are associated with a lower incidence of a variety of cancers, including colon, bladder, breast and ovarian.

Kale is also an excellent source of key carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, which lower cataract risks. These c arotenoids act like sunglass filters and prevent damage to the eyes form excessive UV light.

Encore Fruit Marketing can provide an excellent source of Kale to help consumer products deliver one of the 5 A Day vegetable servings.

Kale juice concentrate is carefully processed from fresh, wholesome Kale juice to provide the essential nutrition and color, in a convenient, ready to use ingredient form. This juice is an excellent ingredient to add a vegetable serving to your retail label for beverages, soups, sauces, juices and other processed foods like nutrition bars and snacks.

Contact Encore Fruit Marketing today for product samples and information at sales@encorefruit.com