Pineapple
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| Pineapple | |
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| A pineapple, on its parent plant | |
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| Species: | A. comosus
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| Binomial name | |
| Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.
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The pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a tropical plant and fruit (berry), native to Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay. The plant is a short (1–1.5 m) herbaceous perennial with 30 or more trough-shaped and pointed leaves 30–100 cm long, surrounding a thick stem. The leaves of the Smooth Cayenne cultivar mostly lack spines except at the leaf tip, but the Spanish and Queen cultivars have large spines along the leaf margins. Pineapples are the only bromeliad fruit in widespread cultivation.
The name
The name pineapple in English (or piña in Spanish) comes from the similarity of the fruit to a pine cone.
The word "pineapple", first recorded in 1398, was originally used to describe the reproductive organs of conifer trees (now termed pine cones). When European explorers discovered this tropical fruit, they called them "pineapples" (term first recorded in that sense in 1664) because it resembled what we now know as pine cones. The term "pine cone" was first recorded in 1695 to replace the original meaning of "pineapple"
In the binomial "ananas comosus", ananas comes the original (Peruvian) word for pineaple nanas, as recorded by André Thevenet in 1555 and comosus means "tufted" and refers to the stem of the fruit.
Fruit
The fruitlets of a pineapple are arranged in two interlocking spirals, eight spirals in one direction, thirteen in the other; each being a Fibonacci number. This is one of many examples of Fibonacci numbers appearing in nature.
The natural (or most common) pollinator of the pineapple is the hummingbird.
At one time, most canned and fresh pineapples were produced on Smooth Cayenne plants. Since about 2000, the most common fresh pineapple fruit found in U.S. and European supermarkets is a low-acid hybrid that was developed in Hawaii in the early 1970s. Pineapple is commonly used in desserts and other types of fruit dishes, or served on its own. Fresh pineapple is often somewhat expensive as the tropical fruit is delicate and difficult to ship. It will not ripen once harvested, so must be harvested ripe and brought to the consumer without delay. Pineapple is therefore most widely available canned. The pineapple juice has been fermented into an alcoholic beverage commonly called pineapple wine which is a type of fruit wine, most commonly produced in Hawaii. Pineapples are also used as topping for American and European pizza, most commonly in the "Hawaiian" type pizza (where it is paired with ham or Canadian bacon).
Truly ripe pineapples are not found in the supermarket because almost all pineapple fruits are harvested at the mature-green stage of maturity. Fruit of the low-acid hybrid, usually containing "gold" in the brand name, are of good and consistent quality. Fruit of the best quality will have a fresh crown and little or no obvious shrinkage or wrinkling of the shell.
Dietary effects
Pineapple contains a proteolytic enzyme bromelain, which digests food by breaking down protein. Pineapple juice can thus be used as a marinade and tenderizer for meat. The enzymes in pineapples can interfere with the preparation of some foods, such as jelly or other gelatin-based desserts. There is significant evidence pointing to the anti-inflamatory benefits of bromelain. Some have claimed that pineapple has benefits for some intestinal disorders while others claim that it helps to induce childbirth when a baby is overdue. These enzymes can be hazardous to someone suffering from certain protein deficiencies or disorders, such as Ehlers-danlos. It can also be used in savory dishes to enhance digestion.
Pineapple is a good source of manganese, as well as containing significant amounts of Vitamin C and Vitamin B1.
Cultivation history
The pineapple spread from its original area through cultivation, and by the time of Christopher Columbus it grew throughout South and Central America and the Caribbean (West Indies). Columbus may have taken a sample back to Europe. The Spanish introduced it into the Philippines, Hawai'i (introduced in the early 19th century, first commercial plantation 1886) and Guam. The fruit was successfully cultivated in European hothouses beginning in 1720. Commonly cultivated varieties include Red Spanish, Hilo, Smooth Cayenne, St. Michael, Kona Sugarloaf, Natal Queen, and Pernambuco. Canned pineapple is almost always Smooth Cayenne.
In 1996, Del Monte began marketing its Gold Extra Sweet pineapple, known internally by the much more prosaic name MD-2.
MD-2 is a hybrid that originated in the breeding program of the now-defunct Pineapple Research Institute in Hawaii, which conducted research on behalf of Del Monte, Maui Land and Pineapple, and Dole. Two similar seedlings, numbered 73-114 and 73-50, were found to have bright-gold, very sweet, low-acidity flesh, high resistance to parasites and internal rot, skin that turned amber when ripe and, best of all, the ability to survive cold storage for up to two weeks. Both versions were briefly marketed, but at the time, couldn't dent the Smooth Cayenne stranglehold on the Hawaiian industry.
The Pineapple Research Institute dissolved in 1987 and its assets were divided between Del Monte and Maui Land and Pineapple. Del Monte took 73-114, which it dubbed MD-2, to its plantations in Costa Rica, found it to be well-suited to growing there, and launched it publicly in 1996. (Del Monte also began marketing 73-50, dubbed CO-2, as Del Monte Gold.)
Southeast Asia dominates world production: in 2001 Thailand produced 1.979 million tons, the Philippines 1.618 million tons and Brazil 1.43 million tons. Total world production in 2001 was 14.220 million tonnes. The primary exporters of fresh pineapples in 2001 were Costa Rica, 322 000 tonnes, Côte d'Ivoire, 188 000 tons and the Philippines, 135 000 tons.
In commercial farming, flowering can be artificially induced and the early harvesting of the main fruit can encourage the development of a second crop of smaller fruits.
The pineapple is an old symbol of hospitality and can often be seen in carved decorations (untufted pine cones are somtimes mistaken for pineapples).
How to grow your own pineapple
Get a pineapple and cut the top off. Allow the top to dry out for one to three weeks. Plant it in soil, and it will root itself. The pineapple grows on the central stem of the plant with only one fruit borne on each plant. Every plant produces suckers and these grow in a leaf axil off the parent stem. These suckers subsequently produce a second or "ratoon" crop of fruit. The first and second crops normally constitute the commercial yield of a plant
Pineapples in games
The famous pineapple is used as a weapon in several games, including Pocket Tanks (Developed by Blitwise).
Pineapples as grenades
The World War Two Mark 2 hand grenade was commonly known as the "pineapple" because of the grooves cut into its surface.
Gallery
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A pineapple -
Pineapple fruit on display at a supermarket. -
'Victoria', a cultivar of small, sugary and flavourful pineapples, is particularly popular on Réunion Island. -
Pineapple etching -
Split pineapple -
Ornamental Pineapple
External links and references
- USDA Hawaii Agricultural Statistics - Pineapple yields 2001-2005
- Social History of the Pineapple - a look at the symbolism behind the pineapple
- Pineapple Fruit Facts - Information on pineapples from California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc.
- The price of pineapples - Pesticide pollution in Costa Rica
- FAO. Tropical Fruits Commodity Notes, 2003
- Francesca Beauman, 'The Pineapple', ISBN 0-7011-7699-7, publisher Chatto and Windus
- Pineapple Nutrition