Fruit in season during winter, highly demanded by many countries, sold cheaply in Vietnam, remember to eat to prevent illness

Gấc is a popular fruit in the rural villages of Vietnam. Sometimes farmers throw seeds and gac grows on fences, climbing up big trees in the garden and giving ripe fruit at the end of the year. Gac is planted once and harvested for many years. Gac fruit cooked with sticky rice is extremely popular in Vietnam, especially on full moon days, the end of the year, and Tet holidays to bring good luck.

Gac is now grown in large-scale gardens for export. Gac yield can reach over 20 tons/ha, with income of up to 100-150 million VND/ha. There are about 18 provinces in the North that grow gac on a small scale, scattered and sporadic. In the North, gac only bears fruit from August and September every year and is harvested from November to January every year. In the South, thanks to favorable climate, gac grows well and continuously, so gac planted in this region bears fruit all year round.

Gac is used for cooking in family dishes (cooking sticky rice, making cakes, making sauce, making natural colors, etc.). Gac in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry is widely used. Vietnamese gac products have conquered more than 10 countries and regions worldwide. Among them, China is considered a large and potential market for Vietnamese gac products. Vietnamese gac is also exported to the US with an average output of 500 – 1,000 tons/year, to India – the country leading in essential oil extraction technology – with a relatively large demand for dried gac, about 11,000 tons/year, to Japan 4.2 million tons/year, to Thailand about 1 million tons/year, to Europe about 2 million tons/year.

Nutritional richness of gac

Gac is rich in nutrients, so it is called the “fruit from paradise” and many countries are looking for ways to cultivate this fruit. According to scientists, in 100g of gac meat (excluding the red membrane not counting the seeds), there are up to 15mg of carotene and 16mg of lycopene. These are precious components for the production of functional products that prevent malnutrition, brighten the eyes, anti-aging, prevent and treat dark skin, brittle nails, and hair loss… Some studies have shown that compounds of carotene, lycopene, vitamin E (-cotopherol) in gac oil also have the ability to render 75% of cancer-causing substances inactive, especially breast cancer.

Health benefits of gac

Cancer prevention: According to research by American scientists, Lycopene compounds in tomatoes have the ability to prevent cancer and limit the development of cancer cells. According to research by the University of California, gac is even richer in lycopene than tomatoes, up to 70 times. Not only that, gac also contains many other substances such as vitamin E, carotene… Thanks to these antioxidants, gac helps inactivating 75% of cancer-causing substances, especially breast cancer, prostate cancer, etc.

Reducing cholesterol and protecting the heart: Antioxidants in gac help reduce cholesterol, strengthen blood vessels, prevent arterial plaque, thereby preventing strokes. As a result, the body is healthy, the cardiovascular system is strong, and life expectancy is increased.

Good for reproductive health: Beta carotene in gac is very beneficial for reproductive health and sexual activities. Beta Caroten has a special effect in promoting the process of forming protein molecules that nourish the body. Beta carotene, when in the body, is transformed into vitamin A, an important vitamin. A lack of vitamin A has a serious impact on the activities of reproductive cells in the production of sperm and eggs, as well as changes in the structure of reproductive organs such as sperm ducts, prostate glands, uterus, ovaries…

Boosting the immune system and anti-aging: The Curcumin extract in gac helps to enhance immunity and antioxidant effects to help the body fight diseases. Curcumin is an antioxidant and anti-aging compound, even 300 times higher than vitamin E. Curcumin has the effect of removing wrinkles, preventing wrinkles, making the skin rosy, smooth, preventing hair loss, promoting hair growth, preventing obesity, and regulating blood pressure.

Stabilizing the nervous system: Gac is rich in selenium, minerals, and vitamins, which are beneficial in stabilizing the nervous system and combating symptoms of depression, a disease that is increasing in children and those experiencing high life pressures.

Improving vision and beautifying the skin: Gac is famous as a natural food that enhances vision, brightens the eyes, and helps beautify the skin. Eating gac regularly makes the skin whiter and smoother. You can also use gac peel as a facial mask for beauty purposes.

In addition to cooking sticky rice, which is a popular dish, gac can be eaten raw directly, which is a less known way of eating. Gac can also be used as a coloring spice in some special dishes, especially in beef dishes cooked with red wine.