Category: Fruits

Almond Milk Drink…good!

12.8.2021

This drink, when unsweetened, is often used to cook and make vegetable cheeses, for millennia.
Since ancient times almond milk is a food, which can be found throughout the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East.

The fruit was introduced, for the first time, in Italy thanks to the Phoenicians who brought the cultivation of almonds from Sicily to Puglia and, then, to Basilicata and Calabria. However, the traditional processing of almonds for the production of drinks and sweets would instead be a precious Arab heritage.

The spread of almond milk increased in the Middle Ages because, not being of animal origin, it could also be consumed during Lent.

In the past five years it has even become America’s favorite milk substitute, with sales growth of 250%, which represents 5% of the total milk market in spite of rice, soy or oat drinks.

NUTRACEUTICAL PROPERTIES

Today almond milk represents one of the most popular alternatives to cow’s milk both for its particularly pleasant taste and for its high protein content, which is valuable for those who follow a vegan diet or in the case of a diet.

Due to its very low calorie content and high digestibility, it is often recommended for those with intestinal disorders. As it does not contain lactose, while being very nutritious, thanks to the natural fibers, it protects the intestine and promotes proper functioning.

The presence of omega-6 linoleic acid and the low amount of saturated fat contribute to making almond milk excellent for regulating the absorption of sugars by controlling blood cholesterol levels.

Almond milk is also an excellent anti-aging, able to counteract the action of free radicals, responsible for aging and cell damage.

Essential beauty ally thanks to the presence of vitamin E, fat-soluble and antioxidant, while vitamin B2 strengthens nails and hair and at the same time moisturizes the skin.

The drink is particularly loved by women because it reduces the risk of osteoporosis, due to the important content of calcium, vitamin A and vitamin D.

Full of vitamins

THE CALABRIAN RECIPE

To produce artisan almond milk, we start from finely chopped almonds with water and then cold filtered, in such a way as to let out all the juice present inside them.

The Calabrian almonds used in this production are grown in the traditional way, i.e. without the use of additional irrigation and they only receive water from the sky.

This ensures that the seed retains a high concentration of essential oils and that the almond retains its characteristic intense flavor.

Bergamot is Calabria’s anti-Covid-19 gold

18.2.2021

PROPERTIES

Bergamot could be the weapon capable of inhibiting the coronavirus. Bergamot is full of vitamin C and flavonoids that make it an excellent cholesterol lowering agent and an antibacterial potentially capable of inhibiting Covid-19, according to a recent study from the universities of Milan and Genoa.

In the past, the research of the University La Sapienza in Rome, carried out in collaboration with the Universities “Vita-Salute” of Genoa and “San Raffaele” of Milan, shed light on the potential of Naringenin, which would be able to inhibit infectious process of Covid-19.

The hills of Calabria, the land of Bergamot

MARKET AND HISTORY

In Italian houses, 3,000 tons of bergamots are transformed per year into juice, jams, honey, hydro-alcoholic gels, but above all into essential oil. This small green citrus fruit with powerful properties is the object of a juicy business in southern Italy: 90% of its production comes solely from the hills of Calabria. Like the lemon tree, bergamot comes from a cross-made from bitter orange. The Arabs who long occupied Calabria in the middle Ages could have imported it.

Narigenina

A NEW PERSPECTIVE AGAINST COVID-19

The intuition was born in the laboratory of the Unit of Histology and Medical Embryology of Antonio Filippini, at the Roman University: it was thought that the proliferation of the coronavirus could be prevented by inhibiting a specific molecular target responsible for the progression of the virus as soon as it enters the cell. Currently, the study is in the verification phase and the results of the first tests seem to confirm the original intuition of the Italian researchers.

Naringenin, as the Italian Society of Pharmacology explains, is a compound of the flavonoid family, which is commonly found in plants. It has antioxidant and immune system modulating activity, is found in large amounts in grapefruit, bergamot and, to a lesser extent in lemon, oranges and tangerines. Above all, naringenin, the very molecule at the center of the anti-Covid-19 scientific study, derived from the polyphenol contained in bergamot juice, in addition to the “anti-cholesterol” activity which has just been seen, increases the uptake of glucose in the muscles and the liver, therefore it helps to lower blood sugar and improve insulin activity.

The one against the Coronavirus is only the last frontier on the benefits of bergamot on health. There are, in fact, several scientific studies, which show how the flavonoids contained in bergamot have an action very similar to that of synthetic statins, that is to say, they block the enzymes of cholesterol synthesis.

S. Raffaele Institute

In fact, other studies then show how the use of bergamot juice also helps lower the levels of LDL, “bad” cholesterol, and increase the levels of HDL, “good” cholesterol.

Bergamot, given the high content of vitamins C, B1, B2, which improve iron absorption, is useful in supporting therapy for anemia. Green gold from Calabria is an excellent appetite stimulant and, due to its high content of critical acid, is effective against intestinal parasites.

Finally, the antioxidant properties of bergamot juice increase the activity of enzymes with antioxidant action, limit the production of free radicals on the walls of blood vessels and neutralize inflammatory mechanisms.