Apricot nutrition facts and health benefits

Apricot nutrition facts

Sweet, fragrant rich, golden-orange apricot fruits are another summer delicacies of Asian origin. These much-prized fruits were first brought to Europe by Greeks who called them as “golden eggs of the sun”. Today, the most important commercially producing countries are Turkey, Iran, Italy, France, Spain, Syria, Greece, and China.

Botanically, the fruit is closely related to peaches and nectarine, sharing with them in the broader Rosaceae family of fruit trees in the genus, Prunus. Scientific name: Prunus armenia.


Fresh apricots (Prunus armeniaca).	Fresh fruits in a basket. Note for bright golden-yellow color fruits.	Delicious dried apricots.

Apricot is a medium sized deciduous tree growing best in the well-drained mountainous slope soils. During the spring, the plant bears plenty of beautiful pinkish-white flowers, which attract bees. The fruits have almost uniform size, 4-5 cm in diameter, and weigh about 35 g. In structure, the fruit is a drupe, consist a centrally located single seed surrounded by crunchy, aromatic edible flesh. The seed is enclosed in a hard stony shell, often called a "stone".

Fresh, ripe apricots have sweet flavor similar to plums. Sun dried organic fruits have concentrated nutrient values than fresh ones although they are lesser in vitamin-C content. Seeds are also edible and taste like that of almonds. Oil extracted from the seeds has been used in cooking.

Health benefits of apricots

Fresh fruits are low in calories, composing just 50 calories per 100 g. However, they are rich source of dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. The fruits are enriched with numerous health promoting phyto-chemicals; that helps prevent heart disease, reduce LDL, ("bad cholesterol") levels and offers protection against cancers.
Apricots are excellent sources of vitamin-A and carotenes. 100 g fresh fruits have 1926 IU or 64% of daily-required levels of vitamin A. Both of these compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin-A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes helps protect body from lung and oral cavity cancers.
Fresh fruits contain vitamin-C, another natural anti-oxidant. Vitamin-C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen free radicals.
They are also good source of minerals such as potassium, iron, zinc, calcium and manganese. Potassium is a heart-healthy mineral; an important component of cell and body fluids that help regulate heart rate and blood pressure.
The total anti-oxidant or ORAC value of raw apricots is 1115 umol TE/100 g. Much of this in these fruits comes from some important health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic anti-oxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin and beta cryptoxanthins. Altogether these compounds act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging, cancers and various disease process.
Zeaxanthin, a carotenoid selectively absorbed into the retinal "macula lutea" in the eyes where it is thought to provide anti-oxidant and protective light-filtering functions. Thus, consumption of fruits like apricots rich in zeaxanthin helps eyes protect from age-related macular disease (AMRD), especially in the elderly people.

See the table below for in depth analysis of nutrients:

Apricots (Prunus armeniaca), fresh,
Nutritive Value per 100 g,
(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)
Principle	Nutrient Value	Percentage of RDA
Energy	50 Kcal	2.5%
Carbohydrates	11 g	8.5%
Protein	1.4 g	2.5%
Total Fat	0.4 g	1%
Cholesterol	0 mg	0%
Dietary Fiber	2 g	5%
Vitamins
Folates	9 mcg	2%
Niacin	0.600 mg	4%
Pantothenic acid	0.240 mg	5%
Pyridoxine	0.054 mg	5%
Riboflavin	0.040 mg	3%
Thiamin	0.030 mg	2.5%
Vitamin A	1926 IU	64%
Vitamin C	10 mg	16%
Vitamin E	0 mg	0%
Vitamin K	3.3 mcg	3%
Electrolytes
Sodium	1 mg	0%
Potassium	259 mg	5.5%
Minerals
Calcium	13 mg	1.3%
Copper
Iron	0.39 mg	5%
Magnesium	10 mg	2.5%
Manganese	0.077 mg	3%
Phosphorus	23 mg	3%
Zinc	0.2 mg	2%
Phyto-nutrients
Carotene-α	19 mcg	--
Carotene--ß	1094 mcg	--
Crypto-xanthin-ß	104 mcg	--
Lutein-zeaxanthin	89 mcg	--

Selection and storage

Dried apricots.

Apricot season lasts from May until September. Buy fresh, well ripe fruits that feature uniform golden-orange color and rich aroma.

Avoid those with pale yellow color as they were picked too soon. Ripened apricots are delicate and should be handled with care.

Store them in the refrigerator in egg tray set at high relative humidity. Use them as early as possible.

Preparation and Serving method

Wash fresh fruits gently in cold water and pat dry in soft cloth. Ripe ones can be eaten as a whole including skin to get the maximum benefits.

Sliced sections of the fruit can be a great addition to salads.
They are also used jam, marmalade, syrup, and jelly preparation.
Sun dried organic fruits can be used like raisins and currants in sweet/confectionary preparations.

Safety profile

Dried apricots are often treated with sulfites to extend their shelf life by preventing oxidation and bleaching of colors, as in the case of other dried fruits like figs. Sulfite treated bright orange colored fruits can cause acute bronchospasm in sensitized people who are suffering from asthma episodes. Therefore, sulfite sensitive persons can instead safely use unsulfured dried fruits that have brown color. (Medical disclaimer)

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