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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] syrups. - Brix and sugar cont

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  • From: "Kieran &/or Donna" <holycow@frontiernet.net>
  • To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] syrups. - Brix and sugar cont
  • Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:19:31 -0500

Yuck, high tannins, what a thought.  I was wondering if acids could do it.  Of course such a fruit would have it's uses.  One small kainth per gallon of peach wine would probably make it quite astringent enough.  But I am intrigued. 
    Some farmers are using the brix of their crop leaves to tell them when either too much or too little rain is stressing their crop to the point that they need to do something.  I had assumed that brix meant sugar content, but if it includes other things, it probably implies that the plant is making and moving things that it needs to protect itself.  I don't think that tannins are what they are looking for as most of our food crop plants don't seem to have particularly high tannins.  Hmmmm.... in plants that do make tannins, they go up not down when there is injury.  Take oak trees attacked by gypsy moths, they can run the tannins so high that the caterpillars are unable to eat or digest the leaves.  The other reason why I don't think the brix readings on field crops shows tannins is that in general a healthy plant tastes better than one that's had too much or too little rain.  They go from watery on the one hand to bitter on the other hand.  In carrots or broccoli, the bitterness is from "terpenes".   Anyone know what they are?  Donna



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