What are ways to reduce cellulose in vegetables and fruits?
I (and some family members) have a medical condition that affects the ability to digest cellulose, so we have to avoid most fresh fruits and vegetables. We have found that cooking vegetables helps a bit, and something that requires a long cooking time (like a stew or soup) helps more.
Basically I am wondering if there are other ways besides cooking to break down the cellulose of vegetables and fruits and make them easier to digest?
Best Answer
Ummm, this isn't a specific condition...cellulose is indigestible by humans. It is the chief component of what we call "dietary fiber" or my Grandma called "roughage".
This question is really asking how to remove the fiber from fresh fruits and vegetables - puree and straining, juicing etc. would all do the trick.
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How do you break down cellulose in cooking?
Effects of Cooking Plants contain cellulose and pectin, two types of fiber. When you cook plants, the heat softens these fibers. A cooked carrot is softer than a raw carrot, which is crunchy. The longer you cook food, the more its fiber is broken down and the softer it becomes.Does cooking reduce cellulose?
Cellulose, lignin and pectin increased during soaking and cooking, whereas hemicellulose increased during soaking but decreased drastically during cooking.Do fruits and vegetables have cellulose?
Cellulose is a fiber found in fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods as part of a plant's cell walls. It's found in tree bark and a plant's leaves. When you eat plant foods, you are consuming cellulose.How do you destroy nutrients in fruits and vegetables?
One should select the best cooking technique as some destroy or partially remove important vitamins and minerals. Boiling fruits change the physical property of the produce through heat and by immersing them in water. Exposure to light, air and naturally occurring enzymes can also reduce the nutrients in the fruit.THE BEST WAY TO REMOVE PESTICIDES FROM YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES - Dr Mandell, DC
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Answer 2
Freezing fresh foods high in water content will rupture cell walls (cellulose strands) similar to cooking. I think the effect on cellulose in cooking is more mechanical in nature (water expanding causing cell wall rupturing) since based on what I could find here the heat involved in cooking isn't enough to actually breakdown the cellulose. Freezing will provide a similar mechanical breakdown.
I'm not sure of the extent of the breakdown, but an easy comparison is to look at a frozen strawberry that has been defrosted next to a fresh one.
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