Information about Guava 

Botanical description of  Guava

Guava belongs to the Myrtaceae family, which includes about 140 plant species However Guava is the most important of all from an economic standpoint. Due to the importance of Guava to people, it has been called the apple of the tropics .

Guava in Egypt

The native home of Guava is tropical America in the region between Peru and Mexico. And from there. It moved to North America ( Hawaii ) and then moved to India. Guava entered Egypt during the reign of Muhammad Ali in 1815 when Guava was brought with mango from India to  Egypt. Since that date, Guava varieties have been developed in Egypt by specialists, and Guava cultivation is concentrated in Lower Egypt (coastal areas), especially in the governorates of Beheira, Damietta, Kafr El Sheikh , Alexandria and Qalyubia .

Guava fruits are eaten fresh, sliced, preserved in sugar solutions, cooked (jam) , and also as juice . Due to the nutritional importance of Guava,

Guava fruits are fruits with high nutritional value, as they contain the following:

Vitamins: Guava fruits contain the highest percentage of vitamin C when compared to other fruits. The seeded Guava with the white flesh ... The vitamin content of the fruit reaches 93 mg/100 kg of flesh. The vegetable (seedless) Guava fruit has a vitamin content of 100 mg /100 g of flesh . The seedless Guava has a yellow flesh . The vitamin C content of the fruit reaches approximately 108 mg/100 g of meat, while the percentage of the vitamin in the red-fleshed seeded Guava fruit reaches approximately 153 mg/100 g of meat. The Malaysian Red variety contains 200 mg/100 g of meat. It is noteworthy that the vitamin content of some selected varieties in India reaches 600 mg/100 g of meat. Chemical analyses have proven that Guava contains vitamin C equivalent to 3 times that of grapes , 4 times that of oranges, and 4 times that of peaches . The vitamin content of the fruit increases gradually and slowly until it turns greenish - yellow, then increases rapidly during the yellow stage. It has also been proven that unripe or overripe fruits have lower vitamin C content than ripe fruits. The analysis also showed that the amount of this vitamin was very high in the outer peel, followed by the outer pulp and then the inner pulp . In addition to the fruit's vitamin A content, the percentage of carotene (a source of vitamin A) in the pulp reaches 3 mg/100 g. It is noted that the pink color in the red Guava pulp is due to the presence of lycopene, a substance believed to protect against cancer .

2-Sugars: Total sugars range from 5% to 9% of Guava's weight. The sugars found in Guava are in the form of sucrose, fructose, glucose, arabinose, and maltose. The red variety is richer in total sugars than the white variety, with sugar content reaching approximately 7.5%, making it more suitable for diabetics than other fruits .

3- Organic acids : Malic and citric acid are found in Guava pulp.

4-Soluble dietary fiber: The most important of these is pectin, which is more abundant in the red variety than the white variety. The percentage of pectin increases as the fruit ripens but rapidly declines in overripe Guavas . The total pectin content ranges from 0.5% to 2.8%, and pectin production from Guava peel is higher than from citrus peel .

5-Mineral salt: The most important of which is calcium, which reaches 17 mg/kg, iron 1.82 mg, and phosphorus 28.4 mg per 100 g of meat.

6-Volatile compounds: There are 32 volatile chemical compounds that are responsible for the flavor of Guava fruits. The most important of these compounds are terpene hydrocarbons, some esters, and aldehydes, in addition to other compounds: 83.3% water, 16.6% dry matter, 0.36% fat, 1% protein, 12% total soluble solids , and 0.08 % acidity .