Scientific name - Citrus limetta
The Citrus limetta falls under the citrus category of fruits, they are mostly called as sweet lime, sweet lemon and also sweet limetta. They have their origin from the South- and Southeast Asia and also domesticated in the regions of Mediterranean Basin. They are small trees growing to a height of 8m which is 26 ft having non-uniform branches which are smooth in nature having a brownish-grey colored bark, they consist of many number of thorns, they are found to have a length of 1.5-7.5 cm which is 0.59-2.95 inches, they are flowers are white in color with a width of 2-3 cm which is 0.79-1.18 inches, the flowers are found to be ovate and green in color after ripening turns out to be yellow in color with a green colored pulp within it. The sweet limes pith is white in their color with a thickness of approximately 5mm which is 0.20 inches. Though they are called as sweet limes they are found to have a greenish orange color, they prefer mostly the tropical and subtropical climatic conditions, they bear fruits at the age ranging from 5-7, but the yield is more only when they are 10-20 years old. They are generally propagated through their seeds.
Nutritional Value of Sweet Lemon
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
---|---|
Energy | 180 kJ (43 kcal) |
Carbohydrates | 9.3 g |
Sugars | 1.7g |
Dietary fiber | 0.5 g |
Fat | 0.3 g |
Protein | 0.7-0.8 g |
Vitamins | |
Vitamin C | (60%) 50 mg |
Trace metals | |
Calcium | (4%) 40 mg |
Iron | (5%) 0.7 mg |
Phosphorus | (4%) 30 mg |
Potassium | (10%) 490 mg |
Other constituents | |
Water | 88 g |
Health Benefits of Sweet Lemon
They are used to enhance the skins beauty since they contain bleaching and also mild cleansing attributes in them thus aids in eradicating the pimples, providing a glowing and also a clear skin.
They are also used in treating insect bites and reduces the pigmentation of the elbows and also the knees.
They are also used by the diabetic patients which are helpful for them.
The acidic properties of the fruit aids in smoothening the ulcers of esophagus, stomach or upper intestine since they induce an alkaline reaction in the body and lessens the effects of acidity.
Frequent intake of the fruits juice makes sure the blood circulation takes places correctly by boosting up the hearts functioning capacity which helps in upgrading the immune system.
They solve many stomach based ailments such as the nausea and indigestion, since they have minimal amount of fat content in it they help in weight loss.
The limes can be kept for a duration of two weeks in room temperature and an average of four to eight weeks under refrigeration. The fruits frozen form can be stored for six months. Slices of fruit can be frozen and used but the limonin present in it makes the fruits taste bitter after some time, this bitter taste is not found if they are kept along with the fruit syrups or if kept in an airtight glass jar.
The sweet lemons and sweet limes are found to be the best example of fruits, more than giving them an in depth explanation of their classification. They contain variety of fruits which are similar to them under the citrus classification. Both the sweet lime and sweet lemons fall under the different category but both are similar to lime. The sweet lemons name is given to them since they have a yellow color more than a greenish shade.
Sampling is the best method to find out whether the fruit can be harvested or not, with their colors they can be determined if they are ripe or not because few fruits have the apt color but they may take some months to ripe, To stay on the safer side the fruits must be left on the tree for few more weeks even though they are ripe for quality reasons.