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Chicory
Common chicory ('' Cichorium intybus'') is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Native to the Old World, it has been introduced to North America and Australia. Many varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons ( blanched buds), or roots (var. ''sativum''), which are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and food additive. In the 21st century, inulin, an extract from chicory root, has been used in food manufacturing as a sweetener and source of dietary fiber. Chicory is grown as a forage crop for livestock. "Chicory" is also the common name in the United States for curly endive ('' Cichorium endivia''); these two closely related species are often confused. Description When flowering, chicory has a tough, grooved, and more or less hairy stem. It can grow to tall. The leaves are stalked, lanceolate and unlobed; they range from in length (smallest near the top) and wide. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blanching (horticulture)
Blanching is a technique used in vegetable growing. Young shoots of a plant are covered to exclude light to prevent photosynthesis and the production of chlorophyll, and thus remain pale in color. Different methods used include covering with soil (hilling or earthing up) or with solid materials such as board or terracotta pots, or growing the crop indoors in darkened conditions. Blanched vegetables generally tend to have a more delicate flavor and texture compared to those that are not blanched, but blanching can also cause the vegetables to be lower in vitamin A. Examples Vegetables that are usually blanched include:MM. Vilmorin-Andrieux; W.Robinson. 1885/undated. ''The vegetable garden: Illustrations, descriptions, and culture of the garden vegetables of cold and temperate climates, English Edition''. Jeavons-Leler Press and Ten Speed Press1920 edition in Internet Archive/ref> * Cardoon * Celery * Chicory (''Chicorium intybus''), or common chicory, in the United States also calle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endive
Endive () is a leaf vegetable belonging to the genus ''Cichorium'', which includes several similar bitter-leafed vegetables. Species include '' Cichorium endivia'' (also called endive), ''Cichorium pumilum'' (also called wild endive), and ''Cichorium intybus'' (also called common chicory). Common chicory includes types such as radicchio, puntarelle, and Belgian endive. There is considerable confusion between ''Cichorium endivia'' and ''Cichorium intybus''. ''Cichorium endivia'' There are two main varieties of cultivated ''C. endivia'' chicon: * Curly endive, or frisée (var ''crispum''). This type has narrow, green, curly outer leaves. It is sometimes called chicory in the United States and is called ''chicorée frisée'' in French. Further confusion results from the fact that frisée also refers to greens lightly wilted with oil. * Escarole, or broad-leaved endive (var ''latifolia''), has broad, pale green leaves and is less bitter than the other varieties. Varieties or names ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inulin
Inulins are a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides produced by many types of plants, industrially most often extracted from chicory. The inulins belong to a class of dietary fibers known as fructans. Inulin is used by some plants as a means of storing energy and is typically found in roots or rhizomes. Most plants that synthesize and store inulin do not store other forms of carbohydrate such as starch. In the United States in 2018, the Food and Drug Administration approved inulin as a dietary fiber ingredient used to improve the nutritional value of manufactured food products. Using inulin to measure kidney function is the "gold standard" for comparison with other means of estimating glomerular filtration rate. Origin and history Inulin is a natural storage carbohydrate present in more than 36,000 species of plants, including agave, wheat, onion, bananas, garlic, asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke, and chicory. For these plants, inulin is used as an energy reserve and for r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cichorium
''Cichorium'' is a genus of plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. The genus includes two cultivated species commonly known as chicory or endive, plus several wild species. Common chicory (''Cichorium intybus'') is a bushy perennial herb with blue or lavender (or, rarely, white or pink) flowers. It grows as a wild plant on roadsides in its native Europe, and in North America, where it has become naturalized. It is grown for its leaves, when it is known as leaf chicory, endive, radicchio, Belgian endive, French endive, or witloof. Other varieties are grown for their roots, which are used as a coffee substitute, similar to dandelion coffee. True endive (''Cichorium endivia'') is a species grown and used as a salad green. It has a slightly bitter taste. Curly endive and the broad-leafed escarole are true endives. ''Cichorium'' is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including setaceous Hebrew character, turnip moth, and the grass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coffee Substitute
Coffee substitutes are non-coffee products, usually without caffeine, that are used to imitate coffee. Coffee substitutes can be used for medical, economic and religious reasons, or simply because coffee is not readily available. Roasted grain beverages are common substitutes for coffee. In World War II, acorns were used to make coffee, as were roasted chicory and grain. Postum, a bran and molasses beverage, also became a popular coffee substitute during this time. During the American Civil War coffee was also scarce in the South: Coffee substitutes are sometimes used in preparing food and drink served to children, to people who believe that coffee is unhealthy, and to people who avoid caffeine for religious reasons. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) advises its members to refrain from drinking coffee, as church doctrine interprets a prohibition against "hot drinks" to include coffee in all forms. The Seventh-day Adventist Church regards caffeine as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cichorium Endivia
''Cichorium endivia'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the genus ''Cichorium'', which is widely cultivated as one of the species of similar bitter-leafed vegetables known as endive and escarole Endive () is a leaf vegetable belonging to the genus ''Cichorium'', which includes several similar bitter-leafed vegetables. Species include '' Cichorium endivia'' (also called endive), ''Cichorium pumilum'' (also called wild endive), and ''Cich .... There is considerable confusion between ''C. endivia'' and '' C. intybus''. File:Escarola Cabell d'Àngel.jpg, A plant of the vegetable type sometimes distinguished as "frisée" File:Cichorium endivia flower (2).jpg, ''Cichorium endivia'' flower with Syrphidae File:Andijvie (Cichorium endivia).jpg, Seedlings References External links Endive and chicory* * {{Authority control Cichorieae Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Leaf vegetables ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salad Leaves
Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad greens. Nearly one thousand species of plants with edible leaves are known. Leaf vegetables most often come from short-lived herbaceous plants, such as lettuce and spinach. Woody plants of various species also provide edible leaves. The leaves of many fodder crops are also edible for humans, but are usually only eaten under famine conditions. Examples include alfalfa, clover, most grasses, including wheat and barley. Food processing, such as drying and grinding into powder or pulping and pressing for juice, may be used to involve these crop leaves in a diet. Leaf vegetables contain many typical plant nutrients, but since they are photosynthetic tissues, their vitamin K levels are particularly notable. Phylloquinone, the most common form o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sesquiterpene
Sesquiterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of three isoprene units and often have the molecular formula C15H24. Like monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes may be cyclic or contain rings, including many unique combinations. Biochemical modifications such as oxidation or rearrangement produce the related sesquiterpenoids. Sesquiterpenes are found naturally in plants and insects, as semiochemicals, e.g. defensive agents or pheromones. Biosynthesis and examples The reaction of geranyl pyrophosphate with isopentenyl pyrophosphate results in the 15-carbon farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), which is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of sesquiterpenes such as farnesene. Cyclic sesquiterpenes are more common than cyclic monoterpenes because of the increased chain length and additional double bond in the sesquiterpene precursors. In addition to common six-membered ring systems such as the ones found in zingiberene and bisacurone, cyclization of one end of the chain to the other end can l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Involucral Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture. Typically, they also look different from the parts of the flower, such as the petals or sepals. A plant having bracts is referred to as bracteate or bracteolate, while one that lacks them is referred to as ebracteate and ebracteolate, without bracts. Variants Some bracts are brightly-coloured and serve the function of attracting pollinators, either together with the perianth or instead of it. Examples of this type of bract include those of ''Euphorbia pulcherrima'' (poinsettia) and ''Bougainvillea'': both of these have large colourful bracts surrounding much smaller, less colourful flowers. In grasses, each floret (flower) is enclosed in a pair of papery bracts, called the lemma (lower bract) and pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lactone
Lactones are cyclic carboxylic esters, containing a 1-oxacycloalkan-2-one structure (), or analogues having unsaturation or heteroatoms replacing one or more carbon atoms of the ring. Lactones are formed by intramolecular esterification of the corresponding hydroxycarboxylic acids, which takes place spontaneously when the ring that is formed is five- or six-membered. Lactones with three- or four-membered rings (α-lactones and β-lactones) are very reactive, making their isolation difficult. Special methods are normally required for the laboratory synthesis of small-ring lactones as well as those that contain rings larger than six-membered. Nomenclature Lactones are usually named according to the precursor acid molecule (''aceto'' = 2 carbon atoms, ''propio'' = 3, ''butyro'' = 4, ''valero'' = 5, ''capro'' = 6, etc.), with a ''-lactone'' suffix and a Greek letter prefix that specifies the number of carbon atoms in the heterocycle — that is, the distance between the relevant -OH ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lactucin
Lactucin is a bitter substance that forms a white crystalline solid and belongs to the group of sesquiterpene lactones. It is found in some varieties of lettuce and is an ingredient of lactucarium. It has been shown to have analgesic and sedative properties. It has also shown some antimalarial effects. It is also found in dandelion coffee. It acts as an adenosine receptor agonist. See also * Lactucopicrin References [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lactucopicrin
Lactucopicrin (Intybin) is a bitter substance that has a sedative and analgesic effect, acting on the central nervous system. It is a sesquiterpene lactone, and is a component of lactucarium, derived from the plant ''Lactuca virosa'' (wild lettuce), as well as being found in some related plants such as ''Cichorium intybus''. It is also found in dandelion coffee. As well as their traditional use as sedatives and analgesics, these plants have also been used as antimalarials, and both lactucin and lactucopicrin have demonstrated antimalarial effects ''in vitro''. Lactucopicrin has also been shown to act as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. See also * Lactucin Lactucin is a bitter substance that forms a white crystalline solid and belongs to the group of sesquiterpene lactones. It is found in some varieties of lettuce and is an ingredient of lactucarium. It has been shown to have analgesic and sedativ ... References {{Acetylcholine metabolism and transport modulators Ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
