Let's take a look at the safe way to open chayote

In October, autumn is getting stronger, and chayote, a niche melon with a unique appearance and sweet taste, ushered in a bumper harvest season. However, chayote's online reputation is mixed, with some saying it is nutritious and others reminding it that it is "unsafe and toxic". So what exactly are the facts? And how to "open" a chayote correctly and safely?

Good taste and nutritious

Chayote is named because there are five edges curled in its fruit, which resembles a "bergamot". Chayote is native to Mexico, Central America and the West India Islands, so it is also known as ann pumpkin, shou melon, fist melon, gassho melon, etc. Around 1915, chayote was introduced to mainland Yunnan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Taiwan and other places. Chayote is divided into green chayote and white chayote, of which green chayote is widely planted, so it is more common.

Professor Liu Shaowei, a member of the expert group of the Shanghai Food Safety Research Association, said in an interview with a reporter from China Consumer Daily that the study shows that in the fruits and vegetables of the "melon" generation, chayote has the advantages of sufficient water content (water content as high as 94.3%), and other nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamin B2, selenium, and folic acid content are also good.

The insoluble dietary fiber of chayote is about 1.2 grams per 100 grams, which is 6 times that of watermelon and cantaloupe, 1.5 times that of papaya and white melon, and 2.4 times that of cucumber. Therefore, moderate consumption of chayote can help the human body supplement some dietary fiber, which helps to enhance satiety, promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, and maintain intestinal health.

The B vitamin B2 content of chayote is also outstanding, about 0.1 mg/100 g. This figure may seem insignificant, but it is 2.5 times that of watermelon and 5 times that of apples, and even when compared with the bitter gourd (B2 content of about 0.03mg/100g), which is preferred by health people, it is still a safe bet.

The selenium content of chayote is the most prominent, with a selenium content of about 1.45 micrograms per 100 grams of chayote, which is higher than most common fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, etc., so it is known as "the selenium library in vegetables" in the folk. Selenium is an essential trace element for the human body, which can participate in the regulation of thyroid function, metabolism, blood circulation, etc.

Fresh chayote contains a whopping 93 mcg/100 g of folic acid, nearly 15 times that of apples. The "Dietary Nutrient Reference Intake for Chinese Residents (2023 Edition)" recommends that adults need 400 micrograms of folic acid per day, and eating 200 grams of fresh chayote can meet 47% of the daily folic acid requirement of ordinary adults.

In addition, chayote is also rich in flavonoids that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Studies have shown that among different colors of chayote, green-skinned chayote has a stronger antioxidant effect and free radical scavenging ability.

"Toxic and carcinogenic" is unwarranted

Chayote is tender and juicy, with a crisp taste, which can be eaten raw directly as a fruit or cooked as a vegetable, making it a real "good melon". So, what about the negative information about chayote on the web?

The reporter of "China Consumer Daily" combed through more than 30 pieces of information about the so-called "toxic" chayote, and found that most of them were related to cooking or eating chayote allergies.

Liu Shaowei analyzed that the protein and a variety of natural active ingredients contained in chayote may indeed cause a slight allergic reaction in the human body, with symptoms such as itching, redness or mild swelling. In life, some people have itchy or even peeling hands after cutting chayote with a knife, and that's why. However, this condition generally only occurs in a small number of people with sensitive constitutions, and most people will not have safety problems when eating chayote in moderation. As for the interpretation of "chayote is poisonous", it is nonsense at all.

And the carcino-causing of eating chayote on the Internet cannot be regarded as the "original sin" of chayote. The reporter searched and found that the origin of this statement is that chayote will produce acrylamide after being fried, and acrylamide is a class 2A carcinogen, that is, a substance that may cause cancer when eaten by humans.

Liu Shaowei analyzed that chayote will indeed produce acrylamide after being fried at high temperature, which is mainly due to the Maillard reaction of certain amino acids (mainly aspartic acid) and reducing sugars such as glucose after heating at high temperature for a certain period of time, and this reaction will form acrylamide. Acrylamide is widely found in fried foods, baked goods, puffed foods and fried foods, and acrylamide may be produced in daily home cooking (stir-frying, frying, roasting, etc.), which is not unique to fried chayote.

At the same time, although acrylamide is a suspected carcinogen, it is not as scary as the rumors describe. The safe intake limit for acrylamide's carcinogenic effects is 2.6 micrograms per kilogram of body weight, and the safe intake for neurotoxicity is 40 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. Therefore, although fried chayote may produce acrylamide, the normal amount eaten by ordinary people will not cause harm to the body.

From the perspective of cooking methods, stir-fried chayote will produce more acrylamide than boiled chayote, which is safer. From a nutritional point of view, it is also recommended that you choose low-temperature cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, and stewing, which can also retain more nutrients in the food.

There is a lot of attention to selection and storage

How to choose fresh chayote? Liu Shaowei reminded consumers that the first is to look at the appearance. The skin of fresh chayote is fresh and tender, the appearance is similar to the palm of the hand, the skin is smooth and free of foreign matter, and the longitudinal groove on the surface of the peel is shallow.

The second is to look at the soft and hard. Pinch it gently with your hands, if it is harder, it means that chayote has more water, and the flesh is more full and full, if it is softer, it means that it is older and has more water loss.

The third is to smell the smell. Fresh chayote will have a fragrant fruit flavor, if there is a peculiar smell, it means that the flesh inside the melon is likely to have spoiled.

Chayote is a non-respiration leap fruit, the respiration rate gradually decreases with the growth of the fruit, and will continue to decline in the process of storage and senescence after picking, so it is more resistant to storage. However, chayote has a thin skin and can be damaged if you are not careful, so it is more likely to spoil and deteriorate.

Liu Shaowei said that chayote is more afraid of low temperatures, and the storage temperature is too low to cause cold damage. Studies have shown that the suitable storage temperature of chayote is about 10 degrees Celsius, and ordinary families can store it in the refrigerator, and if chayote is relatively fresh and there is no external injury on the surface, it can also be stored at room temperature.

For chayote that has been cut, you can cover the cut surface with plastic wrap, refrigerate it in the refrigerator, and consume it within 2 to 4 days. Because the surface incision is easy to deteriorate after a long time, although it does not look damaged, the inside may have become tasty or moldy, so try to finish it as soon as possible.

Chayote harvested in late autumn can be stored in clay jars at a temperature of 5 to 10 degrees Celsius, and can generally be stored until the following year. During this period, even if the chayote sprouts, you can continue to eat it after the sprouts are removed, and the melon flesh is still fragrant and refreshing.

Source: China Consumer Daily • China Consumer Network