As a rule of thumb the ripening of fruit increases the sugar content of fruit. Ripe bananas are far more hyperglycemic than green ones.Morning,
Has anyone any thoughts on whether unripe plums contain less glucose than ripe ones?
Unripe fruit contains starch which is broken down to simple sugars by enzymes as it ripens. Fructose is the main sugar which is very sweet an attracts animals to distribute the seeds. I have no idea if the resulting sugars have more carbs than the starch or if it is just a change in GI.I'm no plant biologist but I think unripe fruits contain MORE glucose and fructose than ripe fruits. That sweet tasting hit we get from from ripe fruit is due to the glucose and fructose being converted to sucrose.
As I said I'm no plant biologist, so may well be wrong!
I think the fructose stays as fructose, but the starch is converted by amylase in the fruit to sucrose or glucose,and the glycemic load increaseUnripe fruit contains starch which is broken down to simple sugars by enzymes as it ripens. Fructose is the main sugar which is very sweet an attracts animals to distribute the seeds. I have no idea if the resulting sugars have more carbs than the starch or if it is just a change in GI.
Unripe fruit conains resistant starches that get ripened and convert to glucose so become soluble and digestible, unlike fructose that stays aloof from it all but makes a beeline for the liver when we eat it, Both of these sugars are now considered to be bad for type 2'sUnripe fruit contains starch which is broken down to simple sugars by enzymes as it ripens. Fructose is the main sugar which is very sweet an attracts animals to distribute the seeds. I have no idea if the resulting sugars have more carbs than the starch or if it is just a change in GI.