Why are loofahs bitter? Why do loofahs become bitter?

The reasons why loofahs are bitter are as follows:

1. The bitter taste of bitter loofah is controlled by genes, and genes can be inherited.

2. In the process of insect pollination, the loofah plants without bitter taste receive the pollen of the bitter loofah plants, or the pollen of bitter gourd causes the loofah to become bitter. That is, when the loofah is pollinated during flowering, it causes abnormalities and produces a bitter taste.

There are roughly three reasons for the bitter taste of loofah: (1) the cultivar's own genetics; (2) abrupt changes in environmental conditions; (3) Cultivation management vector control.

The bitter substance is a kind of grape glycoside, and there are two kinds of foreign substances, the bitterness of the loofah comes from cucurbitacin C, it is because the loofah plant contains this substance called cucurbitacin C to have a bitter taste, this substance is not only stored in the plant body, but also exists in the epidermis of the loofah fruit, cucurbitacin C is generally close to the fruit peduncle, its bitterness is stronger, and the flesh generally has no bitter taste. Plants with a bitter taste are crossed with non-bitter ones, and the offspring fruits are bitter.

Wild loofahs usually contain a very bitter substance called glycosides, which can prevent other animals from eating their seeds, thus greatly benefiting the reproduction of offspring. With the continuous development of agriculture, working people slowly learned to cultivate loofahs. Under the long-term artificial selection, the loofah gradually develops in the direction of human needs, and the bitter substance gradually disappears.

However, there are also many loofahs that still have a little glucoside left on the stalk, so it will taste very bitter.

Some loofahs are not bitter at the end of the long stalk, but the whole melon is particularly bitter, what is the reason for this? Because there are two directions of evolution of organisms, one is to develop forward and is called evolution, which is the mainstream of biological evolution. Organisms can also develop in the opposite direction, which is called atavism.

One plant regained much of its ability to synthesize glucosides. Due to the unpredictable weather, poor nutrient supply, insect pests or damage to the loofah vine, etc., it is easy to produce bitter loofah.

Bitter loofah can be inherited, and if you plant the seeds of bitter loofah, the loofah that grows after a short time must be bitter, and it will still be bitter after a few generations. This is due to the fact that the various traits of plants are controlled by genes, and the bitterness of the loofah is also controlled by one of the pairs of genes, and it is easy to manifest (dominant genes), so as long as the bitterness gene is present in the loofah, it must have a bitter taste. Genes can be inherited.

In order to avoid the loss of bitter loofah to production, the bitter taste must be removed when leaving seeds, and reasonable irrigation must be paid attention to when planting, and timely weeding and insecticide, especially to avoid damage to the plant body.

Reason: The loofah is not exposed to sufficient light during the growth period, so the degree of photosynthesis is insufficient, resulting in the bitterness of the ripe loofah;

The loofah and bitter gourd are mixed planting, and in the process of insect pollination, the loofah is the pollen of the bitter gourd, causing the loofah to become bitter;

The loofah is injured to the roots during fertilization, which can also cause the loofah to become bitter.

Some loofahs grow in places with dense vine leaves, and they can also cause bitterness if they do not have sufficient photosynthesis during their growth.

Extended information: The bitter taste of bitter loofah can be inherited, and if the seeds of bitter loofah are planted, the loofah that grows is also bitter. The bitter taste of the loofah is also controlled by genes, and genes can be inherited. Generally, ridged loofahs are easy to form bitter melons.

Originally, the taste of the loofah was sweet and delicious, but the loofah became so bitter that many friends didn't like to eat it, so many bitter loofahs were often disposed of by the farmers who planted them, and there were very few bitter loofahs on the market.

One of the possible reasons: the loofah is not exposed to sufficient light during the growth period, so the degree of photosynthesis is not enough, resulting in the bitterness of the ripe loofah Possible reasons No. 2: The loofah and bitter gourd are mixed planting, and in the process of insect pollination, the loofah is the pollen of the bitter gourd, which leads to the bitterness of the loofah Possible reason 3:

The loofah is injured to the roots during fertilization, which can also cause the loofah to become bitter.

When planting cucumber seedlings, if the roots of the seedlings are damaged, then the cucumbers of this seedling will be bitter, at least the tail of the melon will be bitter. The loofah may also be the reason, weeding, and inadvertently bruising the roots when fertilizing, so it will also be bitter.

It is also said that vegetable farmers planted bitter gourds and loofahs very closely, and bees cross-pollinated them, making the loofahs bitter, which is also a credible reason.

The bitter taste of bitter loofah is controlled by genes, and genes can be inherited, if you plant a bitter loofah seed, the loofah that grows is also bitter.

Growth Habits:

Light: The loofah is a short-day crop that prefers strong sunlight and is more tolerant of low light. In the seedling stage, it is treated with short days and large temperature difference, which is conducive to the differentiation of female flower buds, and can produce early fruit and high yield.

The shorter sunshine and higher temperature in the whole growth period are conducive to the growth and development of stems and leaves, can maintain vegetative growth and robustness, and are conducive to the development of flowering and fruit set, young melon development and yield improvement.

Temperature: Luffa is a temperature-loving, heat-tolerant crop, the suitable temperature for the growth and development of loofah is 20-30, the suitable temperature for loofah seed germination is 28-30, and the germination is rapid at 30-35.

Moisture: The loofah likes moisture and is afraid of drought, and grows well when the soil moisture is high and the water content is above 70%, and grows slowly when it is lower than 50%, and the air humidity should not be less than 60%. When it is 75%-85%, the growth rate is fast, there are many melons, and when the air humidity reaches saturation in a short time, it can still grow and develop normally.

Most of them are infected by pollen such as bitter gourd during pollination, and some of the soil in which bitter gourd is planted will also be bitter if the alkaloids containing bitter gourd are also bitter.

Insufficient photosynthesis can also be bitter.

Because it won't let you eat. So bitter.

Because it's bitter in its heart, and when it grows tender in life, it is eaten.

The loofah is a green and cool summer vegetable, and some of the mothers who cook the dishes reacted that they obviously bought the loofah, and the taste should be sweet, but it tastes very bitter and difficult to swallow after being fried. So why is the loofah bitter? Why are loofahs bitter?

Why is the loofah bitter.

According to the nutrition doctor, it may be because the loofah was not picked well, or the part of the melon trotters was not removed, and when making the soup, too much salt was put in, which would be bitter.

Why are loofahs bitter?

Physician Xu introduced that the loofah vine contains bitter melonin and other substances, when the temperature is high, the soil moisture is lacking, and the bitter melon in the vine enters the loofah and causes bitterness.

First, the variety. The bitter taste of the bitter loofah can be inherited, and if the seeds of the bitter loofah are planted, the loofah that grows is also bitter. The bitter taste of the loofah is also controlled by genes, and genes can be inherited. Generally, ridged loofahs are easy to form bitter melons.

2. Cross-pollination. During the insect pollination process, the non-bitter loofah plant receives pollen from the bitter loofah plant, or the pollen of the bitter gourd, causing the loofah to become bitter.

3. Poor growth environment such as high temperature and drought, insufficient light, etc. Continuous high temperature, drought and lack of light affect the normal nutrient absorption of plants, resulting in the formation of bitter melon.

Fourth, the use of fertilizer is unreasonable. During the growth of loofah, if too much nitrogen fertilizer is applied, the amount of organic fertilizer and phosphorus and potassium fertilizer is too small, and the water is insufficient, it will also increase the bitterness.

5. Injuries to the plant. The root system of the loofah is damaged in the process of transplanting, fertilizing, weeding or hoeing, which causes the loofah to become bitter, in addition, the loofah encounters insect pests and vine damage, and it is also easy to produce bitter loofah.

Sixth, continuous cropping. Continuous cultivation of loofah crops on the same land has a high probability of bitter loofah.

How to choose a fresh loofah.

1. Looking at the loofah as a whole, you should choose the emerald green color, which is more tender, and the yellow-green ones are old loofahs.

2. Look at the loofah flowers at the root of the loofah, the fresh loofah, the flowers at the root are watery, and the loofah flowers that have been put for a long time are wilted or the flowers have fallen off.

3. Look at the melon vine of the loofah, the fresh water of the melon vine is large, and it is a fresh loofah that has just been picked. If the melon vine wilts, dry and flat, it is a loofah that has been put for a while, and it is not too fresh.

4. Pinch it with your hands, it is very firm and fresh; If it is soft and collapsed, it is a loofah that has been stored for a long time or a loofah that has become old.

Preparation of scrambled eggs with loofah.

Serving size: 4 servings.

Ingredients: 1 loofah, 2 eggs, 1 small piece of ginger, a little salt.

Method: 1Peel and dice the loofah; Wash the ginger, peel and shred it for later use.

2.Crack the eggs into a bowl and stir well.

3.Prepare a wok over medium heat, then add the ginger and stir-fry until the aroma comes out.

4.Then add the loofah, cover the pot and turn to high heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the water out of the loofah softens.

5.Turn to medium heat to remove the water from the loofah, then pour in the beaten egg mixture and stir-fry until the eggs are cooked thoroughly, add an appropriate amount of salt to taste according to personal taste, and then you can eat in the pot.