Bush plum help slows ageing
Thursday, 02/08/2007
If you're feeling a bit old, a bit wrinkly around the edges you might pay to get stuck into Kakadu plums.
The native Australian fruit, often called billy goat plum, is found in parts of the Territory and
Now, new research shows the bushtucker's also got large quantities of anti-oxidants, which can help slow the ageing process.
Food Science
"Blueberry was our international standard because it has a high level of anti-oxidants. In these native fruits the anti-oxidant activity was four or five times higher than in blueberries. And the Kakadu plum was the winner."
She says anti-oxidants help slow muscular degeneration, alzheimers disease, diabetes, cardio vascular condition and others and it can slow down the ageing process.
She says for the fruit to take affect US scientists say you need to eat about 1.5 cups of blueberries a day, so that means you need about a quarter of a cup of Kakadu plums.
But, how do you actually get your hands on some plums?
There are a lot of hurdles. Billy goat plum fruits for just six weeks of the year around March and the almond sized fruit only grows in top end of NT and WA.
Plus you need a permit to search for any. It isn't currently widely available on supermarket shelves and while it has been used in some vitamin products and in some cafes to make muffins and milkshakes, it hasn't been widely adopted.
But, there are moves by a
"We do have a test orchard. We are doing some work with
She says the opportunities are endless and the NT is very lucky to have it.
In this report: Izabela Konczak, research team leader, Food Science
1 comment:
Can I refer readers of this blog to my site for information on the research into the value of Australian fruits? There is a great deal happening in the food, health and nutraceutical industries with some first mover advantage going to strategic, forward-thinking companies such as Kakadu Juice, Dr Red, Berri and Charles Sturt Uni Cheeses. Please support the products from these companies as it really helps to build Australia's competitive edge. Oh, and if you wish, please support my products - you'll find them in my store. I can assure you that you will feel better eating produce which still has wild vigour. Every product I have closely scrutinized since my analyses confirming the vitamin C level in the Kakadu plum as record holding, has revealed startling value in our herbs, spices, fruits, nuts and more.
On a related topic, I for one, can't tolerate the pundits ranting about the rising Aussie dollar making us uncompetitive in the global economy. What it takes are more innovative, clever companies embracing a "Blue Ocean Strategy (Google this term if you are curious) to turn our exports into new products, new ideas and new sales. A key principle of BOS is to make the competition irrelevant and I am proud to have played a pivotal role in fostering the creation of new endeavours, new products and new companies as we offer native Australian foods and ingredients to global markets.
Antioxidants, treatments for diseases such as senile dementia, diabetes, heat disease, Alzheimer's, arthritis, obesity and many others are here now. Sure, many are disappearing as we develop more pristine lands or over-graze drought affected farmland keeping alive ill-adapted stock while we cull protein on the hop. However, out of the scrub comes a new food flavour which just happens to be strongly anti-microbial in foods and offers serious value to the global food industry. Another has massive benefits for anyone who works and plays hard and needs to stay sharp and focused to get the job at hand done. Yet another goes into a natural cosmetic product which solves some challenges of female health and aging while also enhancing great sex. (This'll sell well for sure).
Meanwhile our lunatic politicians pat themselves on the back for letting still other lunatics poison native animals before irreparably obliterating ecosystems in our Tasmanian forests instead of harvesting understorey species for their antioxidants, anti-arthritics and other high return phytochemicals for the food, beverage, health and other industrial applications. This is the real opportunity cost of logging in Tasmania. The action is the worst decision since the Franklin dam and robs us of our future.
Have you written your letters to Turnbull, Garrett and Howard damning them for their short sightedness and idiocy in allowing the Gunns project to progress at the cost to animals, ecosystems and our own economic prosperity?
Please do so today. And forgive me for my passionate rant. I'm off to sip some Kakadu Juice for my health.
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