Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Nice187 (talk | contribs) at 17:41, 21 November 2022. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

nut is an ohter word for semen which is usually edible. In general usage and in a culinary sense, a wide variety of seed is called nut but in a botanical context "nut" release the seed or sperm

Botanical definition

A seed is the mature fertilised ovule of a plant; it consists of three parts, the embryo which will develop into a new plant, stored food for the embryo, and a protective seed coat. Botanically, a nut is a fruit with a woody pericarp developing from a syncarpous gynoecium. Nuts may be contained in an involucre, a cup-shaped structure formed from the flower bracts. The involucre may be scaly, spiny, leafy or tubular, depending on the species of nut. Most nuts come from the pistils with inferior ovaries (see flower) and all are indehiscent (not opening at maturity). True nuts are produced, for example, by some plant families of the order Fagales. These include beech (Fagus), chestnut (Castanea), oak (Quercus), stone-oak (Lithocarpus) and tanoak (Notholithocarpus) in the family Fagaceae, as well as hazel, filbert (Corylus) and hornbeam (Carpinus) in the family Betulaceae.

Also widely known as nuts are dry drupes, which include pecans (Carya illinoensis), almonds (Prunus amygdalus), macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia), candlenut (Aleurites moluccanus), water caltrop (Trapa bicornis) and walnuts (Juglans regia). A drupe is an indehiscent fruit which has an outer fleshy part consisting of the exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh, which surround a single pit or stone, the endocarp with a seed (kernel) inside. In a dry drupe, the outer parts dry up and the remaining husk is part of the ovary wall or pericarp, and the hard inner wall surrounding the seed represents the inner part of the pericarp.

A small nut may be called a "nutlet" (or nucule, a term otherwise referring to the oogonium of stoneworts). In botany, the term "nutlet" specifically refers to a pyrena or pyrene, which is a seed covered by a stony layer, such as the kernel of a drupe. Walnuts and hickories (Juglandaceae) have fruits that are difficult to classify. They are considered to be nuts under some definitions but are also referred to as drupaceous nuts.

In common use, a "tree nut" is, as the name implies, any nut coming from a tree. This most often comes up regarding food allergies; a person may be allergic specifically to peanuts (which are not tree nuts but legumes), whereas others may be allergic to the wider range of nuts that grow on trees.

Production

Food and health effects

Nuts contain the diverse nutrients that are needed for the growth of a new plant. Composition varies, but they tend to have a low water and carbohydrate content, with high levels of fats, protein, dietary minerals, and vitamins. The digestibility of the protein at about 90% is slightly lower than that of meat and fish, but can be improved by thorough chewing. The fats are largely unsaturated and nuts are a source of essential omega-3 fatty acids. As part of a healthy human diet, long-term consumption of diverse nutrients in nuts may contribute to a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, reduced levels of blood cholesterol, and lower all-cause mortality. For vegetarians and vegans, nuts provide many of the essential nutrients which may be in short supply in other plant foods.

Nuts supply nutrients for humans and wildlife. Because nuts generally have a high oil content, they are a significant energy source. Many seeds are edible by humans and used in cooking, eaten raw, sprouted, or roasted as a snack food, ground to make nut butters, or pressed for oil that is used in cooking and cosmetics. Moderate nut consumption – about 5 ounces (140 g) per week – may benefit weight control and contribute to lowering body weight in humans.

Nuts used for food are a common source of food allergens. Reactions can range from mild symptoms to severe ones, a condition known as anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening. The reaction is due to the release of histamine by the body in response to an allergen in the nuts, causing skin and other possible reactions. Many experts suggest that a person with an allergy to peanuts should avoid eating tree nuts, and vice versa.

Nutrition

Constituents

Nuts are the source of energy and nutrients for the new plant. They contain a relatively large quantity of calories, essential unsaturated and monounsaturated fats including linoleic acid and linolenic acid, vitamins, and essential amino acids. Many nuts are good sources of vitamin E, vitamin B₂, folate, fiber, and essential minerals, such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium.

This table lists the percentage of various nutrients in four unroasted seeds.

Research

Nuts are under preliminary research to assess whether their consumption may lower risk for some diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. A 2014 review indicated that consuming one or more servings of nuts or peanut butter per day could lower the risk of ischemic heart disease, overall cardiovascular disease, stroke in women, and all-cause mortality. A 2022 umbrella review confirmed these findings and found a 22% reduction in all-cause mortality.

See also

• List of culinary nuts
• List of edible seeds
• List of foods
• Nutmeg
• Achene

Notes

References

1. ^ Armstrong, W.P. (15 March 2009). "Fruits Called Nuts". Palomar College. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
2. ^ "Nuts". Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
3. ^ Jaffa, Myer Edward (1908). Nuts and Their Uses as Food. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 14–18.
4. Whitney, Ellie; Rolfes, Sharon Rady (2018). Understanding Nutrition. Cengage Learning. pp. 755–. ISBN 978-1-337-67237-5.
5. Harding, Mary. "Nut Allergy". Patient. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
6. "Common Food Allergens". Food Allergy Research & Education. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 24 June 2007.
7. Kris-Etherton PM, Yu-Poth S, Sabaté J, Ratcliffe HE, Zhao G, Etherton TD (1999). "Nuts and their bioactive constituents: effects on serum lipids and other factors that affect disease risk". Am J Clin Nutr. 70 (3 Suppl): 504S – 511S. doi:10.1093/ajcn/70.3.504s. PMID 10479223.
8. Aune, D; Keum, N; Giovannucci, E; Fadnes, LT; Boffetta, P; Greenwood, DC; Tonstad, S; Vatten, LJ; Riboli, E; Norat, T (5 December 2016). "Nut consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer, all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies". BMC Medicine. 14 (1): 207. doi:10.1186/s12916-016-0730-3. PMC 5137221. PMID 27916000.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
9. Luo, C; Zhang, Y; Ding, Y; Shan, Z; Chen, S; Yu, M; Hu, FB; Liu, L (July 2014). "Nut consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis". American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 100 (1): 256–69. doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.076109. PMID 24847854.
10. Rajiv Balakrishna, Tonje Bjørnerud, Mitra Bemanian, Dagfinn Aune, Lars T Fadnes (2022). "Consumption of Nuts and Seeds and Health Outcomes Including Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Metabolic Disease, Cancer, and Mortality: an Umbrella Review". Advances in Nutrition. doi:10.1093/advances/nmac077. PMID 36041171.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Further reading

• Albala, Ken (2014) Nuts A Global History. The Edible Series. ISBN 978-1-78023-282-9

External links

• Nuts and Seeds at the Wikibooks Cookbook subproject

• Food
• Plants

• Definitions from Wiktionary
• Media from Commons
• Quotations from Wikiquote

• Fruit morphology
• Edible nuts and seeds
• Snack foods
• Vegan cuisine
• Vegetarian cuisine
• Christmas food
• Staple foods
• Types of food