Grapes
Plants

Facts about grapes

We found 18 facts about grapes

Grapes do not come exclusively from one species of vine

Although it originated in the Middle East, it has spread all over the world. Thanks to this plant, it is possible to enjoy countless varieties of wine. In addition to wine, grape juices, and jams are also produced, and oil is pressed from their seeds. Grapes can also be consumed in dried form - raisins.

In addition to their taste, they are also very healthy, and some of their ingredients have been proven to reduce the risk of cancer.

Grapes
1
About 90% of all grapes produced in the world are grape vines (Vitis vinifera).

It is a plant from the vine family, which includes 910 species divided into 14 genera.

2
The basic product obtained from grapes is wine.

It was cultivated in southern Europe in ancient times.

3
Grapes, as the name suggests, grow in clusters.

Depending on the species or variety, a single cluster may contain from 15 to 300 fruits.

4
The grapevine is a vine that grows up to 40 meters tall, although it rarely exceeds 10 meters.

To grow upwards, it attaches itself to supports using tendrils.

5
The vine flowers are small and gathered in panicles.

A single panicle may be 10 to 20 cm long. The flower crown of the vine is composed of 5 yellow-green petals, 1.5 mm long and lanceolate in shape.

6
The fruits of the vine are berries and may have different colors depending on the variety.

The average fruit has a diameter of 2 cm and comes in many colors. The fruit may be white, green, pink, red, or almost black. The fruit contains 2 to 4 pear-shaped seeds with a maximum length of 6 mm.

7
Raw grapes consist mostly of water and carbohydrates.

81% of the fruit is water, 18% carbohydrates, 1% protein and less than 0.2% fat. 100 grams of grapes provide 69 kcal of energy.

8
They are a good source of vitamins, but not trace elements.

They contain the most vitamins K, for 100 g it is 14% of the daily recommended dose, B6 (7% of the recommended dose), B1 and B2 (6% of the recommended dose).

9
Grape seed oil is most often made from residues from wine production.

The separated seeds are pressed to obtain a greenish oil. Most of it is produced in the Mediterranean basin.

10
Grapeseed oil is very healthy.

Almost 70% of grape seed oil is linoleic acid, which has a beneficial effect on metabolism and can lower blood sugar levels. 15% of the oil is oleic acid, which can lower cholesterol levels, although research to confirm its effect has not been completed yet.

11
Grape skin contains a lot of health-promoting ingredients.

The ellagic acid contained in it supports the immune system and is an antioxidant. Myricetin lowers LDL cholesterol by increasing its absorption by white blood cells and reduces the risk of prostate and pancreatic cancer. Quercetin has anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effects. A very high concentration of these substances was observed in the fruits of Vitis rotundifolia, a grape grown mainly in the US.

12
The first winery known to us existed in what is now Armenia 6000 years ago.

In turn, in what is now Georgia finds have been discovered proving wine production in this region 8000 years ago.

13
Seedless grapes have become very popular in recent years.

They are much more pleasant to consume, and since the grapes are propagated vegetatively by pruning the vine, the lack of seeds is not a problem in cultivation.

14
Grape juice is made by pressing and grinding the fruit.

In this form, it ends up on store shelves or is fermented to produce wine, brandy, or wine vinegar.

15
The largest producer of grapes is Spain.

France, Italy, and Turkey are in second place, and the United States is in third place.

16
In the 19th century, European winemaking suffered greatly from fungal invasions.

Both fungi and aphids caused huge losses in crops. It was only by chance that it was discovered that copper compounds are excellent fungicides and the blight was brought under control.

17
Do not feed dogs grapes or raisins - they are toxic to them.

Eating these fruits by a dog can cause acute kidney damage and, consequently, anuria, which can lead to death.

18
In 2005, work began on sequencing the grapevine genome.

As a result of the research, it turned out that vines contain more than twice as many genes involved in the production of essential oils and fragrance substances than other plants whose genomes were sequenced. Grapevine was the fourth plant to have its genome sequenced, the previous ones being radish, poplar, and rice.

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