WHAT IS STARFRUT?

(1)  What is Star Fruit?The star fruit or Carrabolla scientific name is Averrhoea carambola from species Oxalidaceae. It is believed native to Malaysia and sSutheast Asia. In Malaysia it was grown in Selangor, Perak and Johore at 1,350 hectar in 2016 (Source: Department of Agriculture Statistic Report). Young star fruit is a light green color and when it ripens and it turn to yellow and while fully mature, it will be a golden yellow skin. The fruit shape like a star and hold it shape when cut. The young fruit in greenish skin will have salt flavor. The flesh is light yellow to yellow, crisp and juicy. Depended to varieties, its taste between pear, green apple, lemon and grape. How to select a good taste for star fruit? The good fruit is with yellow shiny skin and even color. When star fruit skin starting turn to brown, dried up, it is going to wicked and avoid to buy it.


(2) Varieties of Star Fruit in MalaysiaThere are two types of star fruit species are grown in Malaysia, known as variety B10 and variety B17 for domestic and export market. Some times its hardly to differential between it as tart variety will have a little sweet as well. Other than consumed as fresh, carambola fruits are prepared as Carambola Juice, Carambola Tarts, Carambola Sweets, Carambora Pickles and many others. In the  Salt or Tart from carambol it contain such as B10 tend to have narrow space rib. For carambola sweets, such as B7, B2 and B17 there is tendency to have thick with thickset rib compare to tart variety.

(3) How the Star fruit Look Like? The star fruit tree can grow as height 25 feet with yellowish and greenish leaves 2 to 4cm wide and 2 to 9cm long . The aromatic pink to lavender flower diameter approximately 0.95cm.The tree is grow faster and fruit bear heavily in rich loam with well drainage and high humidity climate region. In Malaysia, there grow huge at state Selangor, Johor, Kedah, Perak, Pahang and Sembilan State at season April to June or October - December. Some star Fruit Product and recipes are Puree, Dried star fruit as snack, Star fruit flavor cake,  Star fruit juice snd Star fruit candies.
 

(4)  Why Star Fruit benefits to body?In Malaysia, you can found many fruit hawker along roadside and market. The fruit had lot of nutritional value and benefits to body need. The table below shown the value for starfruit in lab analysis. Nutritional Value per 100gm contain Calorie (24 kcal.), Protein (0.7 g), Fat (1.9 g), Calcium (7 mg), Iron (0.4 mg), Vitamin A (26 mg), Vitamin B1 (0.07 mg), Vitamin B2 (0.07 mg) and Vitamin C (25.8 mg).
For further references pleas visits Belimbing ing "anim Agro Technology" at animhosnan.blogspot.com. Thankyou...

By,
M Anem,
Senior Agronomist,
Exotic Star Farms,
Beranang, Selangor,
Malaysia.
(23 April 2017)