Peaches Facts, Uses, Nutritional Value and Health Benefits

Peach Fast Facts

Peach is a deciduous, stone fruit tree
It belongs to the Rosaceae family
It belongs to the genus Prunus
Peaches come second after apples in popularity.
The tree starts to produce fruits in the second year
It has an average productive life of 10-15 years
Peach originates from China and has been cultivated there for more than 2,000 years.
China is by far the biggest peach producer globally, followed by Spain, Italy and USA.

We classify peaches depending on their use and on whether their stone removes easily as a whole when we cut the fruit in the middle. Thus, we have:

Table Peaches or Freestones

Industrial Peaches or Clingstones

Peaches originate from China. Their domestication started around 6000 BC, while by about 4.500 BC Japanese people had already included the tree among their other cultivations. From Japan, the tree and the techniques of its cultivation moved to India during 1700BC. In 300BC it was Greece’s turn, who adopted the tree most probably by Alexander the Great after his visit to Persia. Greeks then distributed peaches to the rest of Europe. In America, the tree arrived most probably through the Spanish colonies during the 16th century.

Nowadays, according to the World’s Atlas, the top 5 peach producers globally are:

China, with 14.294.973 tonnes
Spain, with 1.799.685 tonnes
Italy, with 1.250.721 tonnes
Greece, with 938.000 tones
The USA, with 775.189 tonnes

Peach Nutritional Value and Health Benefits

It is widely known that the consumption of fruits and vegetables is the key to a healthy life. Scientists keep saying how important it is to include five portions of fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet to be able to fight against some of the modern lifestyle-related diseases. Consumption of fresh peaches may provide a relatively high amount of vitamins (mainly A and C), antioxidants, fiber and potassium. Similarly, nectarines are considered to have two times the amount of vitamin A, and potassium and a bit higher amount of vitamin C compared to peaches.

According to USDA, 100 g of raw peaches contain:

Water: 88.3 g
Energy: 42 kcal
Protein: 0.91g
Total lipid (fat): 0.27 g
Carbohydrate (by difference): 10.1 g
Fibre (total dietary): 1.5 g
Sugars: 8.39 g
Ca: 4 mg
Fe: 0.34 mg
Mg: 8 mg
P: 22 mg
K: 122 mg
Na: 13 mg
Zn: 0.23 mg
Vitamin A RAE: 24 μg
Vitamin C: 4.1 mg
Vitamin E: 0.73 mg
Vitamin K: 3 μg

Some important health benefits of peach consumption are:

Peach may boost the protection against Cancer.

Peach is a source of powerful antioxidants like Vitamin C and carotenoids, which have proven action against free radicals. Moreover, according to studies, peach extracts could kill types of breast cancer cells without any adverse effect on healthy cells.

Peach may Boost Heart Health.

Peaches are rich in potassium. According to studies, people who follow a diet rich in potassium and poor in sodium tend to have balanced blood pressure levels. Furthermore, according to another study, people who consume 4069 mg of potassium daily have almost 50% fewer opportunities to die from ischaemic heart disease.

Peach may Boost Skin Health.

Not surprisingly, most cosmetic skin products have vitamin C as their main ingredient. Vitamin C, which we find in sufficient amounts in peaches, has a significant effect on the skin because it participates in collagen formation. Whether consumed orally or applied topically, it may reduce wrinkles and damage from pollution and sun and improve overall skin health.

Peach may Reduce Allergy Symptoms.

Some components that are included in peaches seem to be able to prevent the release of histamines in the blood. These are the substances responsible for expressing allergic symptoms like sneezing and itching. In addition, they reduce inflammation, which is common in allergies.

References

Peaches Facts, Uses, Nutritional Value and Health Benefits

Peach Tree Information, Variety Selection, and Environmental Requirements

How to Grow Peaches from Seed (Stone)

Growing Peach Trees for Profit – Peach Farming Guide

Peach Tree Soil Requirements, Soil Preparation, and Planting

Propagation and Pollination of Peach trees

How to Train and Prune Peach Trees

Irrigating Peach Trees – How much Water do Peach Trees need?

Peach Tree Fertilizer Requirements

Peach yield per hectare, Harvesting methods, and Storage

Peach Pests and Diseases

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