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16 Okra
Pages 286-301

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From page 287...
... For one thing it is easy to grow, robust, and little affected by pests and diseases. Also, it adapts to difficult conditions and can grow well where other food plants prove unreliable.
From page 288...
... It is common throughout South Asia and, of course, it is popular in Caribbean and African cooking. The word gumbo derives from a Bantu word -- ki ngombo -- for this vegetable.
From page 289...
... But that is just the beginning. Okra seeds contain protein as well as oil possessing qualities like those of olive oil, the standard of excellence.
From page 290...
... These special materials are made from the pith that remains after the stem fiber has been stripped away. In kenaf, this byproduct is proving suitable for animal bedding, for sopping up oil spills, for chicken and kitty litter, and for potting soil.
From page 291...
... It adapts to difficult conditions and can thrive where other food plants prove unreliable. Among its useful food products are pods, leaves, and seeds.
From page 292...
... This was once widely used in places like El Salvador and other Central American nations, Africa, and Malaysia. According to one report "the resulting `coffee' has a good aroma and is inoffensive, since it lacks the stimulating effect of caffeine." A prominent book on African wild foods calls okra "one of the best coffee substitutes known." Oil and Protein Okra seed's potential as a source of oil and protein has been known since at least 1920.
From page 293...
... The protein and oil contents were as high as 43 and 53 percent, respectively.7 Leaves In areas where a wide variety of leaves are eaten (notably West Africa and Southeast Asia) tender okra leaves are often part of the daily diet.
From page 294...
... In screening a large collection of seeds in Puerto Rico, it was found that their protein contents varied from 18-27 percent.8 The protein's amino-acid profile differed from that of either legumes or cereal grains.9 It was rich in tryptophan (94 mg/g N) and had an adequate content of sulfur-containing amino acids (189 mg/g N)
From page 295...
... That induces more production and greatly increases yield. Fresh okra pods bruise easily, blackening within a few hours.
From page 296...
... Needed now is a major follow-up to the work in Puerto Rico, which has been overlooked since it was published decades ago.11 This should start with test plantings large enough to yield samples of okra seed oil and protein for modern evaluation by chemists, food technologists, and industries that purchase vegetable oils and proteins. It's a big undertaking, considering that okra oil and okra seed protein have never been produced in quantity before, but it could open the door to a new agroindustry for the warmer regions of the world.
From page 297...
... Toxicity Checks Although both okra tofu and the protein-rich residue left after oil extraction offer promising foods and feeds, there is a possible drawback. Okra seeds, like cottonseeds, purportedly contain gossypol or a gossypol-like compound.13 All doubts will have to be removed before okraseed can be employed as a protein source.
From page 298...
... suggests that the problem might be bred out. These unusual fatty acids are easily removed by heating the oil during processing, but having none to start with would surely be better.
From page 299...
... Family Malvaceae Common Names Arabic: bamia, bamya, bamieh English: okro, lady's finger, ladies finger, gumbo India: bhindi, bindi, dheras, bandakai, vendakai Chinese: ka fei huang kui, huang su kui, huang qiu kui, qiu kui (medicinal name) ; chan qie, ch'aan k'e, Ts'au kw'ai (Cantonese)
From page 300...
... Beyond Africa It is now grown throughout southern Europe, Australasia, tropical Asia and America, the Caribbean, and the United States, where it is best known in the southern region but is also cultivated in Oregon and California. Turkey grows okra on a large scale.
From page 301...
... in most warm regions of the globe, it is a low, slightly woody plant with a conical five-ridged pod containing numerous brown kidney-shaped seeds that are smaller than okra's. The seeds possess a musky odor and perfumers know them as ambrette ("abelmoschus" is from the Arabic "father of musk", with "moschatus" also referring to a musky smell)


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