Plums: A Brief Introduction

Abstract

Plums are an important source of compounds influencing human health and preventing the occurrence of many diseases. Plums have abundance of bioactive compounds such as phenolic acids, anthocyanin'

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2017
Vol. 1 No. 1: 8
1
Review Article
Journal of Food, Nutrition and Population Health
© Under License of Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License | This article is available in: http://www.imedpub.com/food-nutrition-and-population-health/
Pree Birwal1, Deshmukh G1,
Saurabh SP1 and Praga S2
1 DairyEngineering,SRSofICAR-Naonal
DairyResearchInstute(NDRI),
Bangalore,Karnataka,India
2 IndianAgriculturalResearchInstute
(IARI),NewDelhi,India
Corresponding author: PreeBirwal
 preebirwal@gmail.com
Ph.DScholar,DairyEngineering,SRSof
ICAR-NaonalDairyResearchInstute
(NDRI),Bangalore,India.
Tel: 9896649633
Citation: BirwalP,DeshmukhG,Saurabh
SP,etal.Plums:ABriefIntroducon.JFood
NutrPopulHealth.2017,1:1.
Plums: A Brief Introducon
Received: February03,2017; Accepted: March06,2017;Published: March16,2017
Abstract
Plums are important source of compounds inuencing human health and
prevenngtheoccurrenceofmanydiseases.Plumshaveabundanceofbioacve
compoundssuchasphenolicacids,anthocyanin’s,carotenoids,avanols,organic
acids, (e.g., citric and malic acids), bre (pecn), tannins, aromac substances,
enzymes,minerals(e.g.,potassium,phosphorus,calciumandmagnesium,organic)
andvitaminA,B,C&K.Thepredominantphenoliccompoundsinplumsarecaeic
acid,3-O-caeicquinic(neochlorogenicacid),5-O-caeicquinic(chlorogenicacid)
and4-O-cae-icquinic(crypto-chlorogenicacid).PlumsarebeingusedinIndian
medicineasacomponentof natural drugs used in case of leucorrhea, irregular
menstruaon and miscarriage. Plum helps in prevenon of heart disease, lung
and oral cancer, lower the blood sugar, blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease,
musculardegeneraon,improvememorycapacity,boostbonehealth,regulates
thefunconingofthedigesvesystemandsoon.Incorporaonofplumsindairy
and food products like Yoghurt, Pies, Biscuits, Lassi, Ice cream etc., in form of
extract,pulp,powderor driedchunkswouldsurelyboostupthe nutrionaland
avourquality.
Keywords:Phenols;Anthocyanin’s;Nutrion
Introducon
Plums are one of the most important stone fruits crops of the
world. Plums also include several familiar stone fruits- apricot,
cherryandpeach.Therearemorethan2000varieesofplums,
among which relavely few are of commercial importance [1].
ThesearegrownintemperatezoneinwhichChina,Romaniaand
U.S.Aareleadingcountriesfortheproduconofplums[2].
Plums are important source of compounds inuencing human
healthandprevenngtheoccurrenceofmanydiseases[3].These
aremostlyconsumedfreshallovertheworld.Theprocessingof
plums is generally relies on drying of fresh plum, canning and
beverage preparaon. Although sun drying was very common
earlier,todayplumsaremostlydehydrated[4].Plumshavehigh
sugarcontent,sotomaintainthenutrionalandsensoryquality,
dehydraon to desired moisture content, sub atmospheric
condionsaredesirable.Dierentconvenonalandnoveldrying
techniquesareappliedfordryingofplumssuchashotairdrying,
sun drying, vacuum drying, microwave drying, high pressure
assisted drying and osmoc dehydraon. Drying of plums is
usuallydoneforaainmentoflow microbialloadsandtomake
morestableproducttoprovidestabilitythroughouttheyear.
Increased compeon in today’s global market refers avenues
toimprovetheprocesseciencyanddesirableproductquality.
So, for increased globalizaon and consumer awareness it is
necessarytominimizethedetrimentaleectssuchasphysicaland
chemicalchangesduringofplums.Intradionalairdryingprocess
plumsundergo oxidavedamage,browning,lossof avourand
shrinkage, which lead to lower sensory and nutrional quality
oftheproducts.Toimprove product quality and reduce drying
me,osmoc dehydraon can beanadvantageousmethod for
plumdrying.Itisapre-treatmentforfruitsandvegetablesprior
to drying [5] and other heat assisted processing like canning,
freezing, and minimal processing as osmoc dehydraon does
notlowerstheproductmoisture[6].
Thepurposeofthispaperistoreviewthephysicalcharacteriscs,
healthbenets,nutrionalandanoxidantproperesofplums.
Historical Background
With many know variees of plums, it is not surprising that it
hasdierentheritagesandplacesoforigininallovertheworld.
The pracce of culvaon has been done since prehistoric
mes, longer perhaps than any other kind of fruit except the
apple.Earliest known data of plumssays that plums are origin
ofChina,470BC.TheEuropeanplumsarethoughttohavebeen
discovered around two thousand years ago, originang in the

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areaneartheEasternEuropeorWesternAsia.InancientRoman
mes, 300 variees of European plums were menoned. The
pilgrimsintroducedtheEuropeanplumstoUnitedStatesin17th
century.JapaneseplumsactuallyoriginatedinChinaratherthan
Japan. It was introduced to Japan 200-400 years ago [7], from
whichitdisseminated around the world.Plumsmayhave been
one of the rst fruits domescated by humans. Plum remains
havebeenfoundinNeolithicagearchaeologicalsitesalongwith
olives,grapesandgs.Todayplumisculvatedinalltemperate
climate countries of the world. Europe rst bred European
plum (Prunusdomesca), America rst had the American plum
(Prunus Americana), South Asia culvated the cherry plum
(Prunuscerasifera), andWesternAsiaishavingtheDamsonplum
(Prunussalicina).
Characteriscs of Plums
Plums are a drupe fruit of the subgenus Prunus of the genus
Prunus. Weinberger, (1975) reported nearly 2000 species in
genusprunus.Theycomeinawidevarietyofsizeandcolorslike
yellow,white,greenorredesh.Mature plumfruit mayhavea
dusty-whitecoangthatgivesthem a glaucous appearance [8]
(Table 1).
Plumshaveabundanceofbioacvecompoundssuchasphenolic
acids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, minerals and pecns. For
many decades plums have been used in Indian medicine as a
componentofnaturaldrugsusedincaseofleucorrhea,irregular
menstruaon and miscarriage [9]. Nutrients present in plum
determinenutrivevalueandtasteofplums[10].
Nutrional Value of Plums
Plumshaveabundanceofbioacvecompoundssuchasphenolic
acids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, minerals and pecns. Plums
constute a valuable component of our diet, both in terms of
their nutrive and dietary value. These fruits are becoming an
increasing popular object of nutrional studies conducted on
humansand animals, assessingtheeectof plumconsumpon
on the funconing of the organism. For many decades plums
have been used in Indian medicine as a component of natural
drugs used in case of leucorrhea, irregular menstruaon and
miscarriage[11].Plumshavelow calorie content and relavely
high nutrive value. They contain carbohydrates, rst of all
sucrose,glucoseandfructose,organicacids,e.g.,citricandmalic
acids,bre(pecns),tannins,aromacsubstancesandenzymes.
Contents of minerals in plums increase as fruits ripen. These
substancesdeterminenutrivevalueandtasteofplums[10].
Anoxidant and Total Phenolic content
of Plums
Phenoliccompoundsarefascinanganduniqueclassofbioacve
compoundswidely spread throughout nature. Because of their
richnessinhealth-promongcomponentsandprevenngofthe
occurrenceofseveraldiseasesaswellastheirexcellentnutrients
content [12], there has been great interest in ascertaining the
totalanoxidantcapacies(TAC)andtotalphenoliccontent(TP)
ofplumsinrecentyears[13].Thesefruitsconstuterichsource
ofanoxidantcompounds,suchasphenolicacids,anthocyanins
andotheravonoids[11,14].
Thepredominantphenolic compounds in plums are derivaves
of caeic acid: 3-O-caeicquinic (neochlorogenic acid),
5-O-caeicquinic (chlorogenic acid) and 4-O-cae-icquinic
(cryptochlorogenic acid) as well as caeic acid, together with
smalleramountsofanthocyanins,avanolsandavonols[11].
According to literature data, depending on the variety,
environmental condions and applied analycal methods,
contentsof phenolic acids in plums fall within a wide range of
values(Table 2)[9,15-17].
Fruit processing aects polyphenol contents and alters fruit
microstructure, resulng in the loss or enrichment of some
polyphenolsandinuencingtheiraccessandavailability[18-21]
(Table 3).
Health-Promong Properes of Plums
Numerous studies conrmed the health-promong acon of
plumsasadietarycomponent.Followingsaresummarizedsome
healthbenetsofplums(Table 4).
Processing of Plums
There is old saying that “All dried plums are prunes but not
all plums are prunes”. Plums with high sugar content and rm
eshdriedwithoutremoval of stone and are calledprunes[7].
Plumsarebeingprocessedindierentkindofproductsand are
Kingdom Plantae
Order Rosales
Family Rosacease
Subfamily Amygdaloideae
Genus Prunus
Subgenus Prunus
Table 1SciencclassicaonofPlums.
Acids Quanty (mg/kg)
Neochlorogenicacid 85-1300mg/kg
Chlorogenicacid 13-430mg/kg
Cryptochlorogenicacid 956mg/kg
Table 2Phenoliccomponentspresentinplums.
Component Range (mg/100g f.w)
Cyanidin-3-glucoside 1.9-13.5
1.4-14.4
Cyanidin-3-runoside 14.1-33.0
8.9-60.5
Peonidin-3-glucoside 1.1-1.2
0.3-2.3
Totalanthocyanins
926
125
76
18-29
Table 3ContentofAnthocyanin’sinPlumFruits.

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© Under License of Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Plums analyzed for quality at farms
(Brix, Titrable acidity, Color, % Initial moisture)
Harvested plums can be stored temporarily at refrigerated storage but
should be delivered to processing as soon as possible to minimize
quality loss
Washed plums loaded onto drying trays
At processing plant, air classification to remove leaves, stems,
harmless extraneous matters etc. And wash with about 20ppm
chlorinated water is done
Trays transferred to dryers
Drying for 24-36 h at about 140-165°F (Dried to moisture
about 16 ± 3 from initial moisture of 80%)
Dried plums stored at ambient temperature for
about 1-2 weeks for moisture equilibrium
Packed in high density corrugated bags
Stored at dry and cool preferably
refrigerated 40-55°F conditions
Produconofdriedplums.Flowchart 1
Sr. No. Health Benets
1. Regulates the funconing of the digesve system and thereby relieve conspaon condions due to the presence of dietary
ber,sorbitol,andisan.
2. VitaminChelpsthebodytodevelopresistancetoinfecousagentsandscavengesharmfulfreeradicals.
3. Freshplums,likeyellowMirabellehavemoderatevitaminAandbetacarotenecontent.Naturalfruit’svitaminAprotectfromlungand
oralcancer.
4.
Plumshavesignicant amount of health promong carotenoids such as lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin. These compounds are
onekindof scavengersagainstaging anddiseasecausingoxygen-derivedfreeradicalsandreacveoxygenspecies.Zeaxanthin provide
anoxidantandprotecveUVlight-lteringfuncons.
5. Plumsarerichsourceofpotassium,uorideandiron.Potassiumasanimportantcomponentofcellandbodyuids,helpsincontrolling
heartrateandbloodpressure
6.
Inaddion, the plumsaremoderate sources invitaminB-complex groups suchasniacin, vitamin B-6andpantothenic acid andthese
vitaminshelpthe bodymetabolizeproteins,carbohydratesand fats.Plumsalsoprovideabout5%RDAlevelsofvitaminK.VitaminK is
importantforclongfactorsfunconinthebloodaswellasinbonemetabolismandhelpreduceAlzheimer'sdiseaseintheelderly.
7. Consumponofplumspreventsmaculardegeneraon,heartdiseasesandalsodamagetoourneuronsandfatsthatformapartofour
cellmembranes
Table 4Healthbenets.
usedincreasingly as foodingredientsbyfood processors. Some
oftypes aredriedprunes, prunejuice,prune juiceconcentrate,
canned prunes, plum juice, plum paste, prune powder, prune
bre,lowmoistureprunegranules,lowmoistureprunebits,jam
andjelly,fresh-cutplums[22].
Producon of dried plums
PrunesarethedriedfruitsofsomeculvarsofPrunus domesca
L.thatoriginatedfromtheCaucasusregioninWesternAsia[9].
In1856,FrenchmenLouisPellierintroducedtheLa Pete d’Agen
prune, a nave of southwest France, to the Santa Clara Valley
ofCalifornia.Todaymodern dehydrators have replaced the old
methods of drying prunes in the sun in the United States [23]
(Flowchart 1).
Nowday’sprunesaredriedinlongtunneldehydrator.Fruitsare
dried to about 18% moisture, which has suciently low-water
acvity to avoid problems of microbial spoilage allowing long
term storage [24]. Generally, forced-dra tunnel dehydrators
are used for drying plums, with a total drying process me of
24–36 h, depending on the size and soluble solids contents of
theprunes.
Yield of dried prunes is about 33%. Convenonal dried prunes
are somemes dried to very low moisture content in vacuum
shelfdrier[23]. The nished low moisture dried plums contain
less than 4% moisture. Because of high sugar content of dried
plums,dehydraontosuchalowmoisturelevelcanbeachieved
only under sub-atmospheric condions. About 75% of world’s
supplyofdriedprunesisproducedinCaliforniaandinthePacic
Northwest.Prunesareimportantproductofdriedfruitsindustry.
Theprocess of drying fresh fruits to produce dried plums on a
largescalewaspracsedinEurope,primarilyinFrance,Italy,and
Austria,beforethepruneindustrycommencedintheU.S. Prunes
are also products with an advantageous nutrive and dietary
value, whose popularity as a wholesome snack has increased
considerablyinrecentyears[25].
Consumer Percepon
Marketersbelievethat thetermdriedplumhasamoreposive
imageto customersthandriedprunes. Inastudy plumsscored
higher on the following percepons of healthiness compared
to dried fruits: more natural, easier to digest, containing more
vitamins, and eaten instead of candy [26]. About one-half of
the plums are consumed fresh while the rest are processed.
AccordingtoSomogyiandLuh[23],marketersbelievethatthe

4
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Vol. 1 No. 1: 8
Journal of Food, Nutrition and Population Health
This article is available in: http://www.imedpub.com/food-nutrition-and-population-health/
term“dried plum”hasa moreposiveimagetothe consumers
than“prunes,”
Inastudyplumsscoredhigher on the following percepons of
healthiness compared to dried fruits: more natural, easier to
digest, containing more vitamins, and eaten instead of candy
[26]. Dierent kind of drying techniques are applied for drying
plumslikehotairdrying,sundrying,ultrasoundassisteddrying,
high pressure assisted drying, vacuum drying, microwave
drying,andosmocdehydraon.Tradionalairdryingproduces
detrimental eects on the quality of fruits, mainly oxidave
damage,browning,lossofavourandextensiveshrinkage,which
reduce sensory and nutrional quality of the products [27,28].
Someothertechniqueswereadoptedtominimizethenutrional
losses;osmocdehydraonisoneofthem[29,30].

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Vol. 1 No. 1: 8
Journal of Food, Nutrition and Population Health
© Under License of Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
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