As early summer arrives, golden-yellow apricots are freshly on the market. Because the fruit ripens early, apricots hold an important position in the market at the turn of spring and summer. With their vibrant colors, juicy flesh, and sweet and sour taste, apricots are deeply loved by people.
Apricots are rich in nutrition, and their content of beta-carotene is especially abundant, making them a standout among fruits. Beta-carotene can be converted into vitamin A in the human body, playing an important role in skin, vision, and bone development.
Although apricots are highly nutritious, one should not eat too many at a time. As the saying goes, "Peaches nourish people, while apricots harm them," and there is some truth to this. Eating more peaches is beneficial to the spleen and stomach, but the flesh of apricots contains high levels of cyanogenic glycosides. If consumed in large quantities at once, these can be hydrolyzed by glycosidases in the human digestive tract, producing cyanide-like compounds that can be harmful to the body. For the average person, 3 to 5 apricots per day is appropriate.
Dried apricots are a common processed apricot product. They are not only aesthetically pleasing in color and sweet and sour in taste, possessing color, aroma, and flavor, but they also largely retain the natural color and nutritional value of fresh apricots. They are said to have the effects of promoting saliva secretion to quench thirst and removing heat and cold toxins. Compared to fresh apricots, dried apricots have their own advantages. During the process of turning apricots into dried apricots, the cyanogenic glycosides are hydrolyzed by the fruit's own glycosidases, and the resulting cyanide-like compounds volatilize during processing, leaving very little residue in the dried apricots. Therefore, relatively speaking, one can eat a bit more dried apricots and apricot preserves.