Awards Earned: 1st Place, 6th Life Science, PCA Science Fair 3rd Place, 6th Life Science, ACSI Regional Science Fair

Which fruits, citrus or non-citrus will contain the most water or liquid?

I believe that fruits in the citrus family hold the greatest amount of liquid.

I know that there will be variables involved in the process that must be considered. Some of these would include:
1] Some fruits have thinner skins that may allow for moisture loss during shipping.
2] Fruits will lose liquid during the cutting process.
3] Storage processes can affect the liquid loss. If the fruit spent long periods in storage before being purchased liquid could have been reduced.

I will buy the freshest fruit that I can so that the "true" weight will be as accurate as possible. I will cut the fruit and place it in the dehydrator unit at the same time so that the variables are as close as possible. I will weigh the fruit as it is loaded and again after the dehydrating process, recording my findings.

Strawberries lost about 12% more water per gram than lemons and oranges.
Apples lost about 6% more water per gram than lemons and oranges.

I started out with the idea that citrus fruits would show the largest drop in weight during the process. This belief was based mainly on the fact that citrus fruits are used more in the production of juices than other fruits and vegetables. Because of that I assumed that it was probably more cost effective for companies and that the citrus would yield the most products for them.

What I found was the the apples and the strawberries actually edged out the citrus fruits. Therefore my conclusion is that things are not always as they appear.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its own kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit, after its own kind; and God saw it was good. Genesis 1:11-12

In these two verses we are told how God created the plants and the trees that are on the earth. He created them for His glory and that man would have food to eat. We are told in scripture that we are to be good stewards of the world that God has given to us.

By using methods of preparation like dehydrating, we are able to extend the usable shelf life of the food that He has given us. This means that we are better using what He has given to us, providing for a time of need and that we are able to ship items all over the world to provide for others without spoilage.

300 Cromwell Street, Phillipsburg, New Jersey 08865
Voice: 908-859-6464 Fax: 908-213-0619 E-mail: pcadmin@verizon.net

[ Top of Page | Home Page | Site Map | Contact Us ]