El auge chino de las verduras “tipo fruta” o mini verduras

This year, the fruit market in China is experiencing widespread price drops, with durian, watermelon, grapes, and other fruits suffering significant losses.

However, what's curious is that vegetables labeled as "fruits" (equivalent to the term "baby" in the United States), such as cucumbers, corn, and carrots, have experienced a dramatic price increase in the country. According to CCTV News, the price of fruit-type vegetables is much higher than that of regular vegetables.

Behind this "fruity" halo, there is not only a real improvement in taste and good value for money, but also a lot of marketing and packaging.

Just a marketing term

Li Yansu, a researcher at the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, stated that "fruit-type vegetables" is a common name in the market.

Basically, some varieties taste better than others, so local vendors use the term "fruit-type" to highlight the difference in flavor. In other words, "fruit-type vegetables" is not a formal botanical classification, but a marketing term coined by retailers.

Because some varieties are sweeter, crispier, and have thinner skin than common carrots, they are called "fruits," and their price increases accordingly. For example, some of the so-called mini carrots found in the market are indeed specially cultivated small varieties, while others are simply common carrots cut into smaller pieces and repackaged for sale.

By changing the name and packaging, the price can double. The method for distinguishing them is simple: take a carrot and look at its skin.

If it has obvious cut marks, it's a "fake" carrot, cut from a real carrot. If the price is too high, it's not recommended to buy it.

Industry experts point out that the high price of fruit-type vegetables is mainly due to two reasons. First, their superior flavor commands a premium in the market, and consumers are willing to pay more for "better taste."

Secondly, production costs are indeed higher. Seeds of high-quality varieties are expensive, and the cultivation process requires more precise control of water, fertilizers, temperature, and light.

Furthermore, the yield per hectare of some varieties is lower than that of common vegetables. However, thanks to continuous advances in genetic improvement technology, more and more new varieties are achieving stable yields while maintaining good flavor, thus breaking the cycle of "delicious but low-yielding."

Many people believe that the smaller the vegetables, the tastier they are, but experts emphasize that this is a misconception, as the flavor of vegetables depends on their degree of ripeness at harvest, not their size. Take, for example, a small cucumber, about the thickness of a thumb. Although it may look delicate and pretty, it is not fully developed and lacks sufficient sugars and aromatic compounds, resulting in a bland flavor and the improper texture of a cucumber.

Fruit-like vegetables: prettier, but not better. Regarding the claim that "fruit-like vegetables are more nutritious," experts have clearly stated that fruit-like vegetables are almost identical to their common counterparts in nutritional content and, in some aspects, even inferior.

The most obvious difference lies in dietary fiber. Fruit-type vegetables are marketed as "zero residue and crunchy," which simply means they have less fiber, one of the most important nutritional benefits of vegetables.

Furthermore, some fruit-like vegetables that have had their bitterness removed also lose key beneficial components. For example, while bitter melon, which is a fruit, loses its bitterness, beneficial substances such as momordicin and momordicosides are significantly reduced.

The key to cucumbers lies in the variety. One specific cultivar, developed by the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, contains five to eight times more small-molecule malonic acid than common cucumbers, a component that contributes to weight loss. To fully enjoy a tomato, ripeness and freshness are essential.

However, when fruit is only 60% ripe, it has virtually no flavor, a stark contrast to fruit that is at its optimal ripeness, whether 90% or 100%. Freshly harvested tomatoes differ from those that have been stored for two days in both flavor and nutritional value. Many people are concerned about the high sugar content in fruits and vegetables, which is detrimental to blood glucose control.

However, in reality, the sugar content of fruits and vegetables typically ranges from two to three percent, while that of fruits is usually between 15 and 20 percent or more. There's no comparison. And more importantly, "sweet" is not synonymous with "high in sugar." The perception of sweetness also depends on the ratio of sugar to acid.

Taking corn as an example, common glutinous corn contains less than one percent sugar, while sweet corn contains 4.5 percent. At first glance, sweet corn appears to have a much higher sugar content, but experts point out that the main component of glutinous corn is amylopectin, which the body digests and absorbs easily, resulting in a higher glycemic index after consumption.

On the other hand, sweet corn contains primarily sucrose and fructose, which, while sweet, raise blood sugar levels more slowly. Both types of corn affect blood sugar, but the glycemic effect cannot be measured solely by sugar content.

There are many types of vegetables, each with its own nutritional characteristics. Fruit-like vegetables make up a small percentage of the total plant-based diet and cannot replace the complete nutrition provided by traditional vegetables.

Chinese experts advise against blindly following trends and instead recommend choosing vegetables according to individual needs, aiming for a varied and balanced diet. However, fruit-like vegetables still have value.

For those who don't usually enjoy vegetables, these taste better and are more appealing. If this leads to eating more vegetables, then the money spent will have been worthwhile.