Ingredient Information

Function

Grapefruits are usually eaten fresh by peeling the fruit or cutting the fruit laterally. Grapefruits add a tangy taste to vegetable salads, and make a distinctive salsa if combined with chili peppers and cilantro. Grapefruits can also be juiced similarly to the common orange fruit. Moreover, grapefruit juice can be dehydrated into powder; concentrated; frozen; and, if cautiously fermented, becomes a good source of vinegar.

One of the very popular options in fruit winemaking is grapefruit wine.

In Latin America, grapefruits are cooked to rid them of their sourness and are stuffed with dulce de leche, making a toronja rellena dessert (stuffed grapefruit). They can also be served as an appetizer by lightly broiled and topped with cherries.

Commercially, grapefruits are processed as marmalades, gelatins and puddings. Pectin, a chemical found in grapefruit and is used in preserving other fruits.

When the peel oil of grapefruits is distilled, it becomes an excellent soft-drink flavoring.

An unpleasant substance called naringin is found in the inner grapefruit peel and is used in making tonic beverages, frozen delights and bitter chocolate.

Other Use and Industries

Certain chemicals from the seeds of grapefruits can be extracted and be used as fragrances for cosmetics, toiletries and household cleaners.

Grapefruit seed extract is used for stopping mold and fungus growth on animal feeds and for disinfecting water. On the other hand, its seed hulls are used for conditioning the soil.

Molasses, which is generated from the waste from grapefruit packing plants, is used as food for cattle and has long been in use by famers.

Its leaves and flowers are known to hamper insomnia and display antibiotic activity.

Health Effects

According to the George Mateljan Foundation, more than 20 research studies have pointed out the importance of vitamin C, which grapefruit is abundant of. Vitamin C is proven to help stop free radical damage and thereby treat medical conditions such as osteoarthritis and asthma and promote cardiovascular health.

Lycopene, found in pink grapefruits, is capable of displaying anti-cancer properties in the prostate, cervix, rectum, breast, colon, pancreas and esophagus, as documented in "The Journal of the National Cancer Institute."

Other studies have indicated that grapefruit is a cure for skin diseases like psoriasis and eczema. During the 1930s the grapefruit diet gained fame. The concept of the diet comes from the substances found in grapefruits that, when consumed with protein, encourage the burning of body fat and weight loss.

Another antioxidant called spermidine, which is essential to cell growth and cell maturation, is found in large quantities in grapefruit. A project involving mice on a strict grapefruit diet resulted in a slower aging process.

Grapefruit seed extract is taken orally for bacterial infections and can be applied externally as an astringent, vaginal douche, hair growth stimulant, gargle for sore throats, mouthwash for preventing gingivitis and an ear and nasal rinse against infections.

Origins

Compared to other citrus plants, the grapefruit is fairly easy to grow. All one needs are seeds from a previous grapefruit. The most amiable climate for growing grapefruit trees is the subtropical climate. The humid and warm atmosphere hastens the fruit’s ripening and makes the fruit relatively sweeter, compared when it is grown in other climates. Snow and sub-freezing temperatures destroy grapefruit trees and their fruit. The tree takes up approximately 40 inches of rainfall per year. Harvesting season lasts from October to May. Less delicate varieties of grapefruit are mechanically collected, while the more fragile ones are handpicked. If they are machine-harvested, the grapefruit trees need to be specially trimmed to avoid bruising the fruits.