Pepino Solanum muricatum
Pepino  is a small, unarmed, herbaceous plant or bush with a woody base and fibrous roots. Growth is erect or ascending to about 3 feet high and several feet across. It is similar in these respects to a small tomato vine, and like the tomato may need staking or other support.
The bright green leaves are sparsely covered with very small hairs. In appearance the pepino  is much like a potato plant, but the leaves may take many forms-simple and entire, lobed, or divided into leaflets.
The small flowers are blue, violet-purple or white marked with purple, and are similar in form to unopened potato flowers. The pepino is deemed to be parthenocarpic but a much heavier crop results from self-pollination or cross-pollination. The plants will not set fruit until the night temperatures are above 65° F.
The fruit also show considerable diversity in size and shape. In the areas of its origin there are small oblong types with many seeds, while others are pear or heart-shaped with few or many seeds. Still others are round, slightly larger than a baseball and completely seedless. The colors also vary--completely purple, solid green or green with purple stripes, or cream colored with or without purple stripes. The fruit of cultivars grown in this country are usually round to egg-shaped, about 2 to 4 inches long, with some growing up to 6 inches. The skin is typically yellow or purplish green, often with numerous darker streaks or stripes. The flesh is greenish to white and yellowish-orange. Better quality fruit is moderately sweet, refreshing and juicy with a taste and aroma similar to a combination of cantaloupe and honeydew melon. In poor varieties there can be an unpleasant "soapy" aftertaste. The fruit matures 30 to 80 days after pollination.
Health Benefits of Pepino Melon
1. Rich vitamin C
Pepino fruits rich in vitamin C and vitamin B complex. Pepino vitamin C content of 25 mg per 100 g of fruit flesh and is very useful to prevent thrush and to maintain healthy gums, natural antioxidants that are useful for attacks against free radicals, cause premature aging and various types of cancer.

2. Containing many starch fibers
Starch fiber (dietary fiber) is very good pepino fruit that is 1 to 1.5 grams per 100 grams. In the digestive tract, fiber binds bile acids (the end product of cholesterol) and issued with feces. The higher consumption of fiber, the more bile acids and fatty acids released.

Fiber is also useful in the digestive system, able to shorten in transit time, so the time it takes food from the oral cavity until expelled as feces. Fiber is also able to bind carcinogenic (causing cancer), transit time is short duration of time can create carcinogenic substances that dwelt in the body too short (a minute) so the opportunity to harm the body gets smaller.

3. Source of much beta-carotene
Pepino renowned as a source of beta-carotene which is 26.6 mg per 100 grams of flesh. The Beta-carotene is provitamin A in the body is converted into vitamin A, which is useful in the process of vision, reproduction and metabolism.
Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that plays an important role in reducing the concentration of peroxyl radicals.
Ability to work as an antioxidant beta-carotene derived from its ability to stabilize carbon-core radicals.
This type of antioxidant is also known as the element of cancer prevention, particularly the skin and lung cancer.
Beta-carotene also can reach more parts of the body in a longer time than vitamin A relatively, thereby providing optimal protection against cancer.

4. Iron
Iron functions in energy metabolism and immune system.

5. Potassium
Potassium is an essential mineral that functions to control the heart rate, brain function and other important physiological processes. Potassium is also able to lower blood pressure, reduce pain in muscles resulting from sports or other activities.

To eat, you should select pepino fruit, dark golden, sweet-scented and quite loud. Fruit flavor is slightly sweet, sour and tasteless, melt into one another and produce a unique flavor combinations, which is like a cantaloupe and melon fruit flavors, very fresh consumed in the cold in the middle of the scorching weather.
Pepino also be consumed as a juice, peeled, sectioned and seeded, washed, cut into pieces and in the blender. If you want to enrich rasanyaAnda can also add white sugar or honey into the juice.
In Indonesia, the fruit is still rarely encountered except in the supermarkets or agro tourism area. The price is also affordable, ranging from $1 - $3 per kilogram.
Pepino Melon breaks down into glucose for great energy to get you through your day and increases stamina. And it is also chocked full of great beta-carotene antioxidants that prevent disease. Pepino Melon is packed full of great nutrients and thats why they call it a Super Fruit.

It helps with liver disease, lowers blood pressure, helps those that suffer from strokes to heal faster, and promotes cardiovascular health.

Pepino Melon can also help prevent cancer and diabetes (tends to regulate blood sugar levels because of the high fiber content), plus lower cholesterol. Plus Pepino Melon is anti-inflammatory in action helping to sooth away your aches and pains.

Pepino Melon has lots of Vitamin A, C, K and also B Vitamins, protein, plus iron and copper, which are essential for a healthy immune system, and calcium for bones, potassium which is needed for relaxing and lowering blood pressure, and Pepino is a good diuretic.

And Pepino Melon has soluble fiber similar to oatmeal, which also helps to lower cholesterol, and its easy to digest. Plus the fiber also helps with constipation and it tends to sooth away gastric ulcers too!

Pepino Melon: The Super FruitPepino Melon grows all over the world now and is very popular in Latin American and in Asia.

Pepino melons contains low amount of calories. Hence it helps in lossing weight.All the calories in the pepino melon come from its carbohydrate content. The carbohydrates in the pepino melon are broken down into glucose during digestion, and they are used as your bodys preferred source of fuel.
Pepino melons are an excellent source of fiber. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate your body does not digest.The fiber in the melon slows digestion, helping you feel longer. It also adds bulk to your stool and softens it, makes it easier for you to have a bowel movement. Consuming more fiber lowers your risk of both heart disease and diabetes.

The pepino melon is also sodium-free. Decreasing your daily intake of sodium lowers your blood pressure and reduces your risk of developing illnesses related to high blood pressure, such as heart disease and kidney disease.
 
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