Pineapple Fruit Facts
What is it?
Pineapple is the second most widely consumed tropical fruit in America. The pineapple plant is native to southern Brazil and Paraguay. The fruit is naturalized in tropical or near tropical regions including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Trinidad. The plant is a terrestrial herb which can stand up to 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide. The fruit is wide, cylindrical or cone shaped, and stands 12 inches or more in height with the stem serving as the fibrous core. The fruit is surrounded by a waxy, tough rind composed of numerous hexagonal units. The rind may be dark green, yellow, orange-yellow, or reddish. The juicy flesh is nearly white to yellow. Agricultural experience is very important in determining the harvest time as color and size are not accurate indicators of maturity.
What is so good about it?
Pineapple brings a tropical flair to any product without being so overly exotic that consumers hesitate to try it. Pineapple can be enjoyed directly as a juice or blended with other fruits including coconut, mango, banana, orange, and many others. It also blends very well with vegetables. Pineapple's strong flavor mutes many of the bitter notes associated with vegetables giving the finished product a fruity taste. From a nutritional perspective, 1 cup (250 g) of pineapple juice is an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. It is also a good source of thiamin, vitamin B6, and folate.
How to use it
Pineapple can be implemented in a wide variety of applications. It can be used in tropical drinks, cocktails, smoothies, yogurts, ice creams, sherbet, jellies, marinades, and sauces and imparts a strong tangy tropical flavor. Imagine coconut-pineapple cakes, mango-pineapple smoothies, pineapple-cranberry sauce, ginger-pineapple fried rice, grilled pork chops or ham with a pineapple glaze, or pineapple chicken. Think about pineapple sorbet, honey-ginger pineapple crepes, or pineapple Polynesian chicken.
What iTi offers
iTi supplies frozen and aseptic pineapple juice and pineapple juice concentrate. The products are 100% natural, GMO free, and produced from fresh, ripe, carefully selected fruit. They do not contain any artificial color, flavors, or preservatives. Pineapple products are processed in FDA registered facilities, which are HACCP and Kosher-certified.
