Characteristics of plums as a raw material with valuable nutritive and dietary properties - a review.

In Poland plums are an important raw matenal used for desserts and processing. A traditional Polish plum preserve, called "powidla" being a kind of plum jam, exhibits high nutritive value, due to a considerable degree of raw material concentration, being a rich source of pectins, carotenoids, phenolic compounds and organic acids. Prunes are also products with an advantageous nutritive and dietary value, whose popularity as a wholesome snack has increased considerably in recent years. Plums are a raw material rich in biologically-active substances with antioxidant properties, which is correlated with high contents of phenolic compounds, with the predominance of derivatives of caffeic acid, mainly neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids, together with smaller amounts of anthocyanins, flavanols and flavonols. Numerous nutritional studies confirm the health-promoting action of plums, e.g. by improving the blood lipid profile, reducing bile acid levels, improving glucose and lipid metabolism or inhibiting osteoporosis.

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