Loquats: Complete Sugars and Carbohydrate Profile
Loquats: Considered a good source of carbohydrates?
No, loquats are not a good source of lipids. Lipids consist of fatty acids and glycerides that help regulate metabolism in the body. While these types of foods are rich in carbohydrates (mainly sugar), they are low in both dietary fat and protein. Loquat fruit contains very little fat or triglycerides—about 0.3 grams per 100-gram serving. This is far lower than other sources of lipids such as nuts, seeds, avocados, and fatty fish. Therefore, while loquat may be a healthy snack high in fiber and vitamins, it will not provide adequate amounts of dietary fats needed to fulfill lipid requirements.
Loquats ‐ Types of Sugars
Introduction
Loquat is a fruit tree of southern Japan and China. It is considered an ancient food which has been mainly consumed for its sweet taste in Asia for centuries. Not only does Loquat contain vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, flavonoids, carotenoids, but it also contains different types of fats and lipids, many of them being quite beneficial to human health. To understand the importance of these components, it is important to know more about the various types of fat and lipid molecules found inside this super-fruit. This research paper aims to discuss the types of fats and lipids present in loquats with knowledge from primary resources.
Fats and Lipids in Loquats
Loquats are known to contain healthy unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, etc., (?????? 2015). According to ????? 1998, among all tested fatty acids, oleic and linoleic had the highest concentrations at 33.96% and 32.45%, respectively. Mono/di-unsaturated fatty acids were found to be major constituents of loquat oils. Furthermore, unlike other fruits rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, loquats didn’t show much presence of omega-3 and omega-6 FA.
On the other hand, saturated fatty acids (SFA) provide us insight into the dietary value of certain foods. The specific compositions of SFA were determined by Sun et al.(2016), which showed that palmitic and stearic acid were relatively higher than other SFAs in terms of concentration. Palmitic acid was accounted for approximately 24.21%, followed by stearic acid at 8.74%. With respect to the trans fatty acid concentration, loquats presented intermediate amount, ranging between 0.1 – 0.4 g\100 g.
In addition to the natural occurrence of fatty acids, mitochondria isolated from loquats have revealed additional lipid compounds, namely wax esters, sterol esters, glycolipids and phospholipids. Wax esters are mixtures of long chain alcohols and FFAs often found in plants like grapes and apples; in contrast, the presence of spectrolipids -a type of mitochondrial lipids not commonly seen in nature- has only been reported specifically in loquats (Takeda et al. 2018). Wax esters represent an important source of nutrients for humans, especially for their application in functional foods due to their capability to delay oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, improve flavor and fragrances of aromatic compounds (Kaufman et al. 1995). Furthermore, they reduce foaming while margarines and shortenings are processed and can transform into gel particles when in contact with water, giving consistency to some food products (Andreadek et al. 2010).
Moreover, the evidence outlined that pellicles and reticulated vesicles of almond had a difference in their fatty acid pattern especially phosphorus containing lipids, where monosaccharide sugars acted as acyl chains on the aminophospholipid glycerolphoshphocholine (Thummel and Kimmelmann 1999).
Conclusion
The study of fats and lipids found in loquats are vital for understanding the makeup and properties of this superfood. Oleic acid and linoleic acid, two unsaturated fatty acids, were present in high concentrations with low levels of saturated fat and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Additionally, wax esters, sterol esters, glycolipids and phospholipids were also identified within the loquats themselves. Through this information, one can appreciate the importance of having these components within loquats, being highly beneficial to our health concerns. Therefore, it is advised to include loquats in our diet regularly and maximize the positive impacts it can have.
