Studies show that variety provides cancer-fighting benefits. Well, move over apples and bananas, the world of fruits and vegetables is adding something new.
If you’ve wandered around a farmer’s market or the produce aisles lately, you’ve probably noticed a few unusual newcomers. There are plumcots (left), apriums and broccoflower – to name just a few. These odd sounding selections are part of a new breed of hybrids, the result of mergers between familiar fruits and vegetables. Fruits that were unheard-of in the United States a few years ago now reportedly bring in about $100 million a year.
With these hybrids, plant breeders are creating novel flavors, colors, textures and shapes. As an added bonus, these designer fruits and vegetables can provide variety with a fresh mix of cancer-fighting phytochemicals and nutrients.
Plant A + Plant B = wow?!
The new hybrid fruit and vegetable varieties are created by cross breeding techniques; they are not genetically modified. Plant breeders first select the plants that produce a trait they want, such as a color, phytochemical, texture or taste. The pollen of the plant is transferred to the flower of another plant. The plant grows and bears seeds, which are planted. Out of this new batch, breeders select the plants with the desired trait and the process starts all over again, and again, and again. It’s an experiment that spans years, with some varieties taking 10 to 20 years to get right, if at all.
Fruit/Vegetable |
What It Is |
Info/Taste |
Its Healthy Insides* |
Pluot (also called dinosaur eggs) |
plum + apricot (about 75% plum) |
unusually sweet; smooth skinned |
lycopene, anthocyanins, Vitamin C, potassium, lutein |
Apriums |
apricot + plum (about 75% apricot) |
several varieties–bright orange/orange flesh; high sugar level |
lycopene, beta carotene (form of vitamin A), vitamin C, potassium |
Nectaplum |
nectarine + plum |
looks like nectarine; juiciness/sweetness of plum |
anthocyanins, lutein, vitamin C |
Peacharine |
peach + nectarine (about half & half) |
darker than typical peach, pale inside; little fuzz |
lutein, beta carotene, vitamin C; folate, potassium |
Nectacotum |
apricot + plum + nectarine |
plum taste; shape of nectarine |
vitamin C, beta carotene; anthocyanins |
Peacotum |
peach + apricot + plum (1/3 of each) |
texture/juiciness of plum; outside like apricot |
anthocyanins, lutein, beta carotene, folate, potassium |
Broccoflower |
broccoli + cauliflower |
looks like green cauliflower; milder flavor than either of its parents |
sulforaphane, lutein, quercetin; beta carotene, vitamins C and K, folate |
Broccolini |
broccoli + chinese kale |
looks like baby broccoli; slightly sweet |
sulforaphane; lutein, quercetin, beta carotene, vitamins C and K, folate |
*selected; based on the fruits/vegetables from which they were developed
Hybrid fruits and vegetables are nothing new. Pretty much all produce sold today are hybrids, but typical hybrids are crosses within the same type of fruit or vegetable. Nature continuously produces hybrids, but they are generally within the same species or they don’t produce seeds.
But even nature churns out some quirky hybrids that flourish. Take the rutabaga, for example. Sometime in the Middle Ages, the turnip and cabbage crossed and it took. This root vegetable contains qualities of both its parents, firmer than a turnip with a stronger flavor. The rutabaga provides sulforaphane and beta carotene, with a slightly higher amount of Vitamin C than both the cabbage and turnip.
Of Tasty Parentage
The varieties coming onto the market typically have names that hint at their parentage, such as the popular plumcot (a combination of the plum and apricot) or the nectaplum (yes, nectarine and plum).
Then there’s the pluot, which is heavier on the plum, and the aprium, containing more of the apricot. (Many of these odd-sounding fruits were created by one company. The company has developed over 200 hybrids.)
Although vegetables can’t boast as many unique crosses, broccoli has inspired a couple new variations. Broccoflower is a cross between broccoli and cauliflower; broccolini is a cross between Chinese kale and broccoli. Both have a different taste and look than the traditional cruciferous vegetables, but also contain broccoli’s healthful compounds such as sulforaphane.
Mixing It Up
If you’re still hesitant on reaching for one of the new hybrids, here’s some impetus. Scientists know that eating at least five to nine fruits and vegetables a day is linked with preventing such chronic illnesses as cancer and heart disease. Yet what research is also showing is that variety matters.
In one 2006 study, for example, researchers looked at the biological effect of eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables compared to only a few. Participants were split into two groups: one set choosing from 18 types of fruits and vegetables and the other choosing from 5. Both groups ate from 8 to 10 servings. Yet only the people who ate a wide range of produce showed fewer signs linked to DNA damage and disease.
So enjoy some of the new hybrids, knowing you are taking in a blend of protective phytochemicals but also just because they are fun – and tasty.
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The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the only major cancer charity focusing exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. The Institute provides a wide range of consumer education programs that help millions of Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals, and research centers across the U.S. The Institute has provided more than $70 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. Visit AICR’s Web site. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.