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Lime is an evergreen plant belonging to the Citrus genus. This plant looks like a low tree – 1.5 m. in height with a thick crown. Lime fruits are egg-shaped, have a yellow or green color, and are similar to a lemon.
The homeland of this evergreen tree is the Malacca Peninsula, located in Southeast Asia. In the Mediterranean, lime appeared 1000 years before our era. In the 70s of the 19th century, lime trees were grown by farmers on an industrial scale in the Antilles.
The tree grows in almost all countries with a tropical climate. It is famous in regions where lemons do not grow due to too high humidity. Lime grows well in such unfavorable climatic conditions. But at temperatures below zero, trees die. The largest exporters of lime on the international market are Egypt, Cuba, India, and Mexico.
Lime is not a hybrid of lemon, but on the contrary – lemon is a hybrid of lime. The plant differs from the lemon by a thinner peel, which is more often green or yellowish-green (that’s why it is also called “green lemon”). The pulp has a sour taste, is juicy, and has a green tint.
It’s A Little Odd How Much Juice In One Lime
One lime weighs an average of 70 g. You can get 20 ml of juice from a quarter of a lime. You can cut an average lime into 8 approximately identical circles. To get one liter of lime juice, you will need at least 5 kg of fresh fruit. After all, one glass of juice takes almost 1 kg of lime.
Is there a difference between lime juice and Key lime juice?
Lime juice Ki has a pale yellow color. This juice is made from Persian limes because they are larger and give more juice. You can characterize an ordinary lime by bright green color and a richer taste.
There is no difference between the two fruits. The main difference is that Persian lime is used to prepare a key lime pie.
Lime juice concentrate conversion
The natural freshly squeezed juice of this fruit has a pleasantly sour taste with bitter notes. A large amount of ascorbic acid makes it useful in the season of colds. Low-calorie content and the presence of organic acids help to control body weight. Pure juice and concentrate do not irritate the walls of the stomach and do not destroy tooth enamel.
It is simple to prepare lime juice from the concentrate. You need to buy a fruit concentrate, pour the contents into a plate. Then fill the contents with water (1.2 liters of water per 400 grams of concentrate).
Chemical Composition Of Lime
Fresh limes consist of almost 88% water. Almost 10% of their composition is carbohydrates, and the content of proteins and fats does not exceed 1 percent. But the main component is vitamin C – 100 g of the fruit contains almost 35% of the daily norm of ascorbic acid.
However, the chemical composition of limes is not very different from the vitamin and mineral composition of lemons. Both citrus fruits, in addition to vitamin C, contain many other beneficial substances, including flavonoids.
One of the most powerful is a limonene-a component of lemons and most citrus fruits, which has anti-cancer and fat-burning properties. In limes, the highest content of limonene is found in their white inner part.
Health benefits of Limes
- A good source of vitamin A. A glass of freshly squeezed lime juice (from 2 fruits) contains more than 70 mg of vitamin C. This substance is necessary for a person to grow properly, restore tissues, maintain healthy bones and teeth. Therefore, lime is the best fruit for the prevention of scurvy and colds. In addition, a glass of sour juice (even in combination with other components) will provide the body with ascorbic acid in the amount necessary for the production of collagen – a protein substance responsible for the strength of blood vessels, skin, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage.
- A natural antibiotic. Lime juice is a powerful antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial agent. It can quickly destroy the cholera virus. And in hospitals in Nigeria, this product is a proven remedy against many parasites and an effective cure for malaria.
- A detoxifying agent. The composition of limes includes 8 different chemicals that, acting on the liver, activate the production of a special enzyme. It neutralizes most of the carcinogenic compounds in the body, turning them into substances that are harmless to humans, which are then excreted from the body along with urine.
- A product that improves digestion. The pulp of citrus has amazing qualities. Once in the human body, lime behaves like a digestive enzyme. This means that with indigestion, belching, bloating, it would be nice to remember sour green citrus fruits. A few slices of fruit or a little juice will help restore the functioning of the digestive organs. A glass of warm water with a small amount of lime juice, honey, and cinnamon, drunk on an empty stomach, will get rid of toxins and improve the functioning of the intestines.
How many limes equal a lemon?
Limes and lemons are popular citrus fruits in cooking. They are added to dishes to give a delicate aroma and a fresh, sour taste, used as a snack for alcoholic beverages. Although lime is genetically similar to lemon, they are different plants.
There is a common misconception that lime is an unripe lemon. Both plants belong to the same genus, are considered genetic relatives, but their similarities end there. Citrus fruits themselves, their fruits, and fruiting periods differ.
Another difference between lime and lemon is the taste. The taste of lime is sour, and the citrus aroma is barely perceptible. The taste of lemon is more sour and pungent. Lemon and lime are equivalent, so you can compare them in a ratio of 1:1.
How much juice is in one lemon?
It is difficult to say how much juice one lemon gives. They usually vary in size and juiciness, which makes it difficult to determine the exact amount of juice. Naturally, the larger the size of the lemon, the more juice you will squeeze out of it.
On average, one small lemon will give 2-3 tablespoons of juice, one medium-sized lemon will give about 4 tablespoons, and a large lemon will give almost 5 tablespoons of lemon juice. But to get this amount, you need to squeeze out all the juice from the fruit. To do this, you need to know how best to squeeze out the juice.
How many lemons for 1 cup of juice
The standard size of the mug is 250 ml. If you consider that you can squeeze 50-60 ml of juice from one lemon, then you need to take about 5 lemons for a whole mug. Of course, everything also depends on the size of the fruit itself and its juiciness. Concentrated lemon juice is rarely consumed in such quantities, as it is dangerous for health.
Measuring lemon juice is easy:
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice – 1/3 Lemon
- 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice – 1 Lemon
- 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice – 1 1/4 Lemons
- 1/2 Cup Lemon Juice – 2 1/2 Lemons
- 3/4 Cup Lemon Juice – 4 Lemons
- 1 cup Lemon Juice – 5 1/4 Lemons
How much juice is in one orange?
The amount of orange juice will depend on the variety of orange, their juiciness, shelf life. If the orange is juicy, it will make 2\3 cups of juice. There are also dry oranges. By the size of an orange and its condition, it is not always possible to unambiguously determine how much juice will be obtained from one orange. One kilogram of fresh oranges makes 512 grams of juice. Thus, the yield of a beneficial product is slightly more than half – 51.2%.
The amount of juice also depends on your juicer. One squeezes very powerfully, and the other cake comes out very wet and you can still squeeze it out and squeeze out the juice.
Conversion guide to measuring fresh lime juice
It’s easy to find out how much juice will come out of a certain amount of lime. You can use the matching table:
- 1 Tbsp Lime Juice – 1/2 Lime
- 2 Tbsp Lime Juice – 1 Lime
- 1/4 Cup Lime Juice – 2 Limes
- 1/2 Cup Lime Juice – 4 Limes
- 3/4 Cup Lime Juice – 6 Limes
- 1 cup Lime Juice – 8 Limes
Tips for Juicing Citrus Fruits
The most beneficial drinks are fresh juices. Juices from citrus fruits are far from the last place among all other fruits and vegetables. These drinks are easy to prepare — it is enough to have an inexpensive citrus juicer.
The advantage of citrus juices is a huge amount of vitamin C. In citrus fruits, it is preserved for a long time. But still, it is better to drink freshly squeezed citrus juice no later than half an hour after its preparation.
The amount of juice in one citrus fruit will depend on the fruit itself, but there are some tips:
- Use a manual juicer, so you can get more juice.
- Heat the fruit in the microwave for 10 seconds. This will help break down the membrane that holds the juice.
- You can roll out the fruits on the table, so it will be easier to cut them.
- Do not store limes at room temperature. The freezer is the best place for this fruit. Limes left at room temperature gradually loose moisture, and their peel becomes hard. To preserve the juice that is in limes, put them in a plastic bag.
It is significant to know how much juice you can get from each citrus fruit. This will help you easily determine how much fruit to take for any recipe.
Does lime juice go bad?
The shelf life of lime depends on the method of its storage. In a dry and cool place, lime can lie for up to two weeks, the comfortable storage temperature is 5-9 degrees. At room temperature, lime spoils faster and after a week you will be able to throw it away. Lime juice is well stored in the freezer. Store it in an ice mold, and the zest in a plastic bag. With this method, the shelf life ranges from 4 to 12 months. You can not store whole fruit in the freezer.
Sweet lime smoothie: recipe
Smoothies are a “healthy” version of the classic milkshake, in which the main component is not milk, but fruits and berries (and sometimes vegetables). Instead of milk, smoothies often include natural yogurt, and for vegan versions, coconut or soy milk is usually used. And as a sweetener — honey.
Prepare smoothies with lime carefully: the main feature is sweetness. Lime can also give bitterness, you need to block it. Necessary ingredients:
- 1 cup of milk or nut milk to choose from
- 1/2 avocado
- 1 lime, peeled lime
- zest
- 1/2 cup small spinach
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- a pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 tablespoon of honey
- optional additives
Optional supplements:
- 1-2 tablespoons of crushed cookies
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped toasted coconut
- 1/2 cup spinach extra
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions for cooking:
- Put all the ingredients in a blender and turn it on at a fast speed.
- After 30-45 seconds, your smoothie is ready!
Application of lime juice
Lemon and lime juices are a great vitamin supplement not only for tea or coffee but also for a great variety of other drinks. It is especially good to add a small amount of them to other juices during breakfast. Often, with the addition of these juices, excellent cocktails are also prepared – both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
Lemon or lime juice will be an excellent dressing for vegetable salads and an incomparable addition to pasta sauces, okroshka, favorite vegetable soups, as well as a wide variety of meat, poultry, or fish dishes. And these juices help to give a charming aroma to your favorite desserts and homemade cakes!
Closing
The benefits of lemon and lime are well known to everyone – these wonderful fruits help us fight viruses, recharge with vitamins and even improve digestion. And, of course, you can not do without them in cooking!
Lime has a bitter and refreshing taste – this can be a trap in the preparation of drinks. The taste of lime always needs to be overlaid with something to make it sweet. Quite often, chefs use lime as a substitute for lemon, but in this case, you need to calculate the dosage.