Featured Product: Pineapple puree and puree concentrate
Pineapples are native to the southern part of Brazil, and Paraguay. The natives of southern Brazil and Paraguay spread the pineapple throughout South America, and it eventually reached the Caribbean. In 1493 Christopher Columbus found the fruit on the island of Guadalupe and carried it back to Spain. Pineapple was spread around the world on sailing ships that carried it for protection against scurvy. The Spanish introduced it into the Philippines, Hawaii (introduced in the early 19th century, for commercial plantation 1886), Zimbabwe and Guam. The fruit was cultivated successfully in European hothouses, and pineapple pits, beginning in 1720. Commonly grown cultivars include 'Red Spanish', 'Hilo', 'Smooth Cayenne', 'St. Michael', 'Kona Sugarloaf', 'Natal Queen', and 'Pernambuco'.
While pineapples have a sweet taste, they are known for their high acid content. Pineapples are the only bromeliad fruit in widespread cultivation. It is one of the most commercially important plants which carry out CAM photosynthesis. The natural (or most common) pollinator of the pineapple is the hummingbird.
Pineapple juice can be used as a marinade and tenderizer for meat. It is a favorite when processed into fruit juices, beverages, marmalades, jam, jellies, or candies.
Pineapple is a good source of manganese (91 %DV in a 1 cup serving), and contains a significant amounts of Vitamin C (94 %DV in a 1 cup serving) and Vitamin B1 (8 %DV in a 1 cup serving).
Nutritional Benefits:
- Vitamin C
- Manganese
- Vitamin B1
- Bromelain (digestive aid)
Our Pineapple purees, and puree concentrates are produced from the highest quality fruits. Pineapple puree is prepared by processing fresh fruit which has been cleaned, washed, properly drained, sorted, and inspected. The pulp is then extracted, homogenized, de-aerated and sterilized for aseptic packing. The puree is then packed, stored and shipped in accordance with good manufacturing practices. We are able to offer a wide selection of popular pineapple varieties from around the world.
In addition to pineapple purees, we offer a selection of pineapple juice products, essences, IQF pineapple dices and some organic Pineapple ingredients. Pineapple purees and ingredients are easily incorporated into tropical juice beverages, smoothies, yogurts, and a multitude of food and dairy products.
A Little More About Pineapples
Cultivation and production. Pineapple plants need a warm climate and well-drained soil. Too much water can harm them, but irrigation is necessary in some dry regions. Before planting, pineapple growers plow the land deeply and break it up well. In Hawaii and some other regions, they use a machine to put certain chemicals into the soil to kill harmful roundworms called nematodes. The same machine also deposits fertilizer and lays wide strips of plastic on the ground. The plastic strips keep the chemicals from escaping from the soil. The plastic also conserves moisture, keeps the soil warm, and discourages the growth of weeds.
Pineapples are grown from any of four parts of a pineapple plant: (1) shoots, (2) slips, (3) crowns, and (4) suckers. Shoots grow from the main stem. Slips grow from the flower stalk just below the fruit. Crowns are the groups of leaves at the top of the pineapple. Suckers arise from the roots below ground.
Workers insert the shoots, slips, crowns, or suckers through the plastic strips by hand. They punch holes in the plastic with a planting tool. After planting, pineapple plants require careful cultivation. Growers may use hormonelike chemicals to make the plants flower and produce fruit faster than they would naturally. Machines do most of the weeding, spraying, and fertilizing that used to be done by hand. About 20 months after planting, the pineapples are ready to be picked. A pineapple plant bears one fruit for the first harvest and may bear two fruits for the second or third harvest. Most planters replant fields after every two or three harvests.
In most countries, pineapples are harvested by hand. The pineapple pickers grab the fruit by the crown and twist it from the stalk. They put the pineapples in baskets strapped to their backs or in canvas bags carried over the shoulder. Hawaiian pineapple growers use a harvester-conveyor to simplify the fruit-picking. This machine consists of a long boom (metal arm) with a conveyor belt built into it. A truck moves the boom through the pineapple field, with the boom extending over many rows of plants. Pineapple pickers walk behind the boom. They pick the pineapples and drop them onto the conveyor belt, which carries them to the truck.
Pineapple plants also have several other uses. Various parts of the plant are used to make cattle feed, meat tenderizers, and medicines. In the Philippines, people weave the fibers of the plant into a cloth called pina.
Contact Encore Fruit Marketing today for product samples and information at sales@encorefruit.com
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