What problems should be paid attention to when eating ginkgo biloba

In autumn and winter, the ginkgo trees on both sides of the street and in the community park are golden, and oval-shaped ginkgo fruits fall off the trees naturally
.
Ginkgo fruit is used for both medicine and food, and many people pick it up at home to dry, peel, stir-fry and make soup
.
However, poisoning due to improper consumption occurs
from time to time.
So, what causes this? What problems should I pay attention to when eating ginkgo fruit daily?

Huang Jian, a researcher at the Institute of Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that although ginkgo biloba fruit has certain edible value, because it contains toxic ingredients such as ginkgolic acid, ginkgo toxin, hydrocyanic acid and allergenic protein, if it is consumed improperly or excessively, it may produce toxic side effects
.
China's pharmacopoeia records that the processed white nuts taste sweet, bitter, astringent, flat, poisonous (raw food).

Huang Jian analyzed that the fruit of the ginkgo tree is mainly composed
of fleshy outer seed coat, hard medium seed coat (fruit shell), thin inner seed coat (coat membrane), endosperm (kernel slices) and germ.
Peel off the three layers of skin in turn, which is edible ginkgo fruit, which is often called white kernel
.

Fresh white nuts are green as jadeite, light yellow or light green after cooking, with a slight bitter taste, soft and delicious when eaten hot; The dried white kernel contains about 60%-70% starch, 13% protein and 3% fat and micronutrients, such as vitamins, riboflavin, trace elements and inorganic salts
.
In addition, white fruit also contains ginkgo biloba's unique active ingredients - ginkgo lactone and ginkgo flavonoids, which are beneficial to improve cardiovascular and cerebrovascular function
when consumed in moderation.

However, in addition to the above ingredients, white fruit also contains toxic ingredients such as ginkgolic acid, ginkgo toxin, hydrocyanic acid and allergenic protein, which may produce severe toxic side effects
when consumed improperly or excessively.
Among them, ginkgo toxin is the main toxic substance
causing acute poisoning of white fruit.

White fruit poisoning mostly occurs within 3-4 hours after consumption, the symptoms are fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, convulsions, dyspnea, severe cases can die due to respiratory failure, a small number of people manifest as sensory disorders, lower limb paralysis
.
After eating white fruit, once the symptoms of poisoning appear, immediately induce vomiting, then oral milk 300 ml or an appropriate amount of egg white, and seek medical attention
in time.

Huang Jian reminds consumers that after peeling the hard shell of the white fruit, it is necessary to heat it thoroughly and ripen, it is best to boil it in boiling water for 10 minutes, and after the hard shell is peeled, the white fruit must be boiled in boiling water for 10 minutes, remove the silver or light brown coating wrapped around the kernel, and remove the germ in the middle of the kernel, and then cook.

If it is a picked ginkgo fruit, because the ginkgo biloba fruit has a high content of ginkgolic acid in the fleshy outer seed coat, it will cause corrosion to the skin, so try to wear gloves
when peeling the seed coat.

It should be emphasized that white fruit must not be eaten raw, and most of the toxic components in white fruit must be removed by high-temperature cooking in advance, while reducing allergenicity and ensuring food safety
.
Different cooking methods, should pay attention to adequate preparation and heat treatment to eliminate or reduce white fruit toxicity
.

Generally speaking, if it is heated by steaming, it is necessary to turn on a pot of water and steam for ten minutes on high heat; If it is boiled, it is necessary to boil the water for 10 minutes after boiling; If it is a stir-fry, it should be cooked in boiling water before being put in the pot
with other side dishes.
It is important to strictly control the amount of
serving.
Even cooked ginkgo biloba should not be consumed
in excess.
It is recommended that adults take 10-20 capsules each time, children should not exceed 5 capsules, and infants should not consume them
.

(Li Jian)

China Food News (December 01, 2022, version 06).

(Responsible editor: Zhu Meiqiao)