Everything about Guava totally explained
Guava (from
Arawak via
Spanish guayaba), is a
genus of about 100
species of
tropical shrubs and small
trees in the myrtle family
Myrtaceae, native to
Mexico, the
Caribbean,
Central America and northern
South America, but now cultivated throughout the
tropics. In
Hindi as well as
Urdu they're called
amrood . In Sri Lanka they're called
Pera. The
Bengali name
peyara (পেয়ারা) and the
Tagalog name
bayabas are probably local renditions of
guayaba. Numerous references in medical research identify guava as
Psidium guajava.
They are typical
Myrtoideae, with tough dark
leaves that are opposite, simple, elliptic to ovate and 5-15 cm long. The
flowers are white, with five petals and numerous stamens.
In several tropical regions, including
Hawaiʻi, some species (namely
Cattley Guava,
P. littorale) have become
invasive weed shrubs. On the other hand, several species have become very rare and at least one (
Jamaican Guava,
P. dumetorum), is already
extinct.
The genera
Accara and
Feijoa (=
Acca, Pineapple Guava) were formerly included herein too.
Cultivation
Guavas are cultivated in many tropical and subtropical countries for their edible fruit. Several species are grown commercially;
Apple Guava (
P. guajava) and its
cultivars are those most commonly traded internationally.
Mature trees of most species are fairly cold-hardy and can survive as low as 5°C for short periods of time, but younger plants won't survive. They are known to survive in Northern
Pakistan where they can get down to 5°C or lower during the night. Guavas are also of interest to home growers in temperate areas, being one of the very few tropical fruits that can be grown to fruiting size in pots indoors.
Culinary uses
The guava
fruit is edible, round to
pear-shaped, from 3-10 cm in diameter (up to 12 cm in some selected
cultivars). It has a thin delicate rind, pale green to yellow at maturity in some species, pink to red in others, a creamy white or orange-salmon flesh with many small hard seeds, and a strong, characteristic aroma that's hard to describe but generally reminiscent of refreshing fruit like
apples,
passionfruit or
strawberries, with an inoffensive acidity and a fragrance reminiscent of
rose petals.
The whole fruit is edible, from seeds to rind, but many people choose to cut out the middle which contains hard seeds embedded in the surrounding pulp. The pulp is sweetest and most delicious in the center, with the outer layer being sour and gritty like young
pears, while the
peel (fruit) is sour in taste but richest in
phytochemicals; it's usually discarded but can be eaten as an enriched source of
essential nutrients and
polyphenols.
The fruit is also often prepared as a dessert. In Asia, fresh raw guava is often dipped in preserved
prune powder or salt. Boiled guava is also extensively used to make candies, preserves, jellies, jams, marmalades (
goiabada), and juices. In Asia, a tea is made from guava fruits and leaves. In
Egypt,
South Africa, and
Central America, guava
juice is popular. Red guavas can be used as the base of salted products such as sauces, constituting a substitute for tomatoes, especially for those sensitive to the latter's acidity.
Guava wood is used for meat smoking in Hawaii and competition
barbecue.
Psidium species are used as food plants by the
caterpillars of some
Lepidoptera, mainly
moths like the
Ello Sphinx (
Erinnyis ello),
Eupseudosoma aberrans,
Snowy Eupseudosoma (
E. involutum)and
Hypercompe icasia.
Mites like
Pronematus pruni and
Tydeus munsteri are known to
parasitize Apple Guava (
P. guabaya) and perhaps other species. The
bacterium Erwinia psidii causes rot diseases of the Apple Guava.
The fruit are also relished by many
mammals and
birds. The spread of introduced guavas owes much to this fact, as animals will eat the fruit and disperse the seeds in their droppings.
Nutrients and dietary antioxidant value
Guavas are often considered
superfruits, being rich in vitamins
A and
C, omega-3 and -6
polyunsaturated fatty acids and especially high levels of
dietary fiber. Containing about half the amount (37 mg per 100 g) of vitamin C as a raw orange, a single strawberry guava also has good levels of the
dietary minerals,
potassium and
magnesium, and otherwise a broad, low-calorie profile of
essential nutrients. Common guava has generally a more diverse and dense nutrient content, including extraordinary richness of vitamin C (228 mg per 100 g).
Guavas contain both major classes of
antioxidant pigments --
carotenoids and
polyphenols, giving them relatively high dietary antioxidant value among plant foods.
Medical research
Since the 1950s, guava, particularly its
leaves, has been a subject for diverse research in chemical identity of its constituents,
pharmacological properties and history in
folk medicine. For example, from preliminary medical research in laboratory models,
extracts from guava leaves or bark are implicated in therapeutic mechanisms against
cancer,
bacterial infections,
inflammation and
pain.
Essential oils from guava leaves have shown strong anti-cancer activity
in vitro.
Folk medicine applications
Guava leaves are used as a remedy for
diarrhea, and for their supposed
antimicrobial properties. The same anti-diarrheal substances useful in
folk medicine may also cause
constipation when large amounts of guava fruits are consumed. Guava leaves or bark have been used traditionally to treat
diabetes.
Selected species
Image:ARS_HPSI41.jpg|'Thai Maroon' guavas
Image:Psidium guajava fruit.jpg|Green guavas
Image:Guava_bangalore.jpg|Ripe guavas
Image:Jambu Batu.jpg|Indonesian guavas
Image:Apple Guava.jpg|Apple guavas
Further Information
Get more info on 'Guava'.
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