This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Peel (fruit) is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
Peel, also known as rind or skin, is the outer protective layer of a fruit or vegetable which could be peeled off. The rind is usually the botanical exocarp, but the term exocarp does also include the hard cases of nuts, which are not named peels since they are not peeled off by hand or peeler, but rather shells because of their hardiness.
A fruit with a thick peel, such as a citrus fruit, is called a hesperidium. In hesperidiums, the inner layer (also called albedo or, among non-botanists, pith1) is peeled off together with the outer layer (also called zest), and together they are called the peel. The zest and albedo, respectively, are the exocarp and the mesocarp. The juicy layer inside the peel (containing the seeds) is the endocarp.
Uses
Depending on the thickness and taste, fruit peel is sometimes eaten as part of the fruit, such as with apples. In some cases the peel is unpleasant or inedible, in which case it is removed and discarded, such as with bananas or grapefruits.
The peel of some fruits, for example pomegranate high in tannins and other polyphenols, is employed in production of dyes.
The peel of citrus fruits is bitter and generally not eaten raw, but may be used in cooking, e.g. chenpi. The outermost, colored part of the peel is called the zest, which can be scraped off and used for its tangy flavor. The fleshy white part of the peel, bitter when raw in most species, is used as succade or is prepared with sugar to make marmalade or fruit soup.
References
See also
- Fruit Anatomy, describing the botanical terms of fruit and skin layers.
 |
This fruit-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 17 October 2008, at 18:06.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Peel (fruit)".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.