Tiger nut is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Cyperaceae. It is also known as "oil nut" and the ancient name in China as "iron water chestnut". It has extremely high nutritional value and enjoys the title of "fruit of life". ", "Underground Walnut", "Concentrated Food", "Almighty Nut", "God's Food" and other reputations, it is one of the most primitive foods for mankind. In the United Nations, tiger nuts are listed as key research objects and are important for aerospace. The food of choice for members of the Communist Party of China, and the United States even calls it "the greatest food of this century."
Tiger nuts have a long history. Their main origins are Africa and the Mediterranean coast. About 2 million years ago, 80% of the food of human primitive ancestors came from tiger nuts. It was the most important nutrition for early humans. source. One million years ago, tiger nuts were the staple food of the African human race, providing vital support for human survival, evolution and reproduction. 9,000 years ago, the ancient Indians across the ocean from Africa also used tiger nuts as their daily food. 6,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians began to domesticate and cultivate wild tiger nuts and cultivated them on a large scale in the Nile Valley. Tiger nuts became one of the important crops in ancient Egypt and became a staple food that everyone from the royal family to the common people in ancient Egypt could not live without. gourmet food. In 2000 BC, tiger nuts were used as tributes to the Egyptian royal family, and even became offerings in the tombs of the ancient Egyptian royal family, which shows that tiger nuts have a very noble status.
Tiger nut cultivation has been introduced to China for more than 60 years. It is a cereal that has the same origin as medicine and food. Its medicinal value is highly valued. According to the "Xinhua Compendium of Materia Medica", tiger nuts "tubers are pungent, sweet, and warm in nature. They have the effects of soothing the liver and promoting qi, strengthening the spleen and stomach, and are mainly used to treat diseases caused by liver stagnation and qi stagnation." Pain and chest tightness; epigastric distension, stomach pain, indigestion, spleen deficiency, stagnant food intake, and indigestion caused by spleen and stomach qi stagnation."
After testing, tiger nuts are rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium. , selenium, zinc, manganese and vitamin E, vitamins B1, B2, B6 and other trace elements. Its protein content is 3 times that of milk and contains no cholesterol. It is rich in 17 kinds of amino acids, and its linoleic acid and linolenic acid content is higher than that of olives. The oil is higher and rich in arginine, which is especially suitable for children and sports people. The natural vitamin E exceeds 56. It contains high sugar but can be eaten by diabetics. The high manganese contained in it can regulate insulin.
Regular consumption of tiger nuts and their products can prevent three high diseases, myocardial necrosis, myocardial infarction, arteriosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, gastric tumors, arthritis, stomach stones, leukemia, diabetes, cataracts, organ Aging disease, bone deformation and other diseases; strengthens liver function and regulates the secretion of adrenaline; can promote the growth and development of bones in infants and young children, and is an excellent nutritional supplement and fetal growth agent for pregnant women; it contains soluble fiber, amino acids and starch and has good The characteristics of digestion can treat constipation, maintain the intestines, and prevent intestinal tumors. It can help people regulate body balance and enhance human immunity. It is a well-deserved health fruit that comes from the same source of medicine and food.
Tiger nuts are not only nutritious and healthy, but also very delicious. They taste like peanuts and walnuts. They taste oily and fragrant, but they are sweeter than peanuts and more watery than walnuts. They are called "Underground Walnut".
In Africa, tiger nuts are the daily food of the African people and are widely present in the African dietary system. Tiger nut juice is often used by African people to replace breast milk because of its rich nutrition and easy absorption. .
In Europe, tiger nuts are made into a flavorful traditional drink "Horchata", which can be seen everywhere on the streets of Valencia, Spain. People often eat it with a pastry called "fartons" ( Sweet, slender, and can be eaten with horchata) and eaten with horchata, it is as classic as Chinese soy milk and fried dough sticks. Valencia’s tiger nut industry is very mature, and its deeply processed tiger nut products are deeply loved by Europeans.
In the United States, tiger nuts are also very popular and are called "superfoods" because they contain high amounts of iron, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins E and C. Many people comment on its sweet and fresh taste as "a shocking taste", and children can often buy it in local dessert shops.
Nowadays, many foreign companies process tiger nuts into a variety of products, such as raw beans, plant milk, flour, edible oil, etc., involving many industries such as health, beauty, cosmetics, and daily necessities.
Tiger nut oil has extremely high nutritional value. Its quality is better than canola oil and comparable to olive oil. Tiger nuts are non-GMO natural crops and their safety is guaranteed.
Tiger nut oil is rich in a variety of unsaturated fatty acids necessary for the human body (saturated acid 20, oleic acid 64, linoleic acid 11, linoleic acid 2), and is rich in trace elements and a large amount of VE, Vc, contains no cholesterol, is extremely antioxidant and has extremely high nutritional value. It does not contain trans fatty acids and can be used in high-temperature fried foods. It has less oily smoke and is not easy to deteriorate at high temperatures. It is a high-quality substitute for trans-fat (choose hydrogenated oil) oils and is more in line with the Chinese people's eating habits of high-temperature cooking.
The World Health Organization proposes that the optimal ratio of the two groups of fatty acids, linolenic acid and linoleic acid, is 1:4. When it is close to the optimal ratio, the body's functions are most efficient and external diseases are less likely to invade the body. The content of linoleic acid and linolenic acid contained in tiger nut oil, which the human body cannot synthesize by itself, is significantly higher than that of olive oil. The ratio of linolenic acid and linoleic acid is close to the golden ratio of 1:4 recommended by the World Health Organization.
Comparing the linoleic acid content, 1 bottle of tiger nut oil is approximately equal to 3 bottles of olive oil, the linolenic acid content, comparing 1 bottle of tiger nut oil is approximately equal to 4 bottles of olive oil, and the vitamin E content, comparing 1 bottle of tiger nut oil Approximately equivalent to 3.86 bottles of olive oil.
Tiger nuts not only have healthy ingredients, but also produce high-quality, natural, non-GMO health-care edible oil, and their oil production rate is also very impressive.
It is reported that the oil content of tiger nuts is as high as 20 to 36, and its output is generally 800 to 1,000 kilograms per mu. The output in high-producing areas can reach 1,200 to 1,300 kilograms, and the high yield can reach 2,000 kilograms. Dried beans weigh 600-800 kilograms, and about 200-300 kilograms of edible oil can be squeezed. Much higher than rapeseed, soybeans, peanuts and other oil crops. Planting one acre of tiger nuts is equivalent to planting 7 to 10 acres of rapeseed and 3 to 5 acres of peanuts. The oil production per acre is about 4 times that of soybeans and 2 times that of rapeseed. 1.5 times that of peanuts, its yield is currently the highest among oil crops, so tiger nuts are called the well-deserved "King of Oil Crops" by agricultural experts from all over the world.
In terms of planting, tiger nuts do not choose any location, have high yields, and have obvious advantages in comparative efficiency and ecological and environmental protection. First of all, its leaves and stems can reach about 1 meter in height, are soft and tough, and are a good raw material for nutritious forage and weaving technology; secondly, it does not compete with grain for land, has wide adaptability, and is resistant to drought, waterlogging, and barrenness. , whether it is sowing in wasteland, sandy land, tidal flats, hillsides, saline-alkali lands, or planting in tea forests, orchards, and melon fields for intercropping, it is no problem for it. There are fewer pests and diseases, and marginal land resources can be effectively utilized for cultivation.
Thirdly, it has a short growth period and high yield. It can be planted two seasons a year, and the planting cycle only takes 110 to 120 days. In addition, it is easy to store. Mature roots have a high dry matter content and are not prone to rot and mildew. The fruits scattered in the soil will sprout new seedlings in the second spring. It can be said that it is easy to grow and manage, "once and for all", and it is a green and ecological plant. There are about 400 million acres of sandy land in our country. If 20% of it is used to plant tiger nuts, it can produce 8.8 million tons of high-quality edible oil annually, accounting for about 30% of my country's annual vegetable oil consumption, and can replace 70% of imported soybeans and other oils, fundamentally To reverse the situation of tight supply of edible oil raw materials and dependence on imports in my country.
The herbaceous stems and leaves on the ground of tiger nuts are high-quality feed for cattle, sheep, fish, rabbits and geese. The underground fruits can be eaten raw or fried, and can be used to squeeze high-quality health-care edible oil, produce cakes, extract starch, process food, boil sugar, make wine and feed.
According to relevant information: "Tiger nuts themselves can be pressed for oil and made into beverages. After oil extraction, every 100 kilograms of oily nut cake and meal can produce 50 kilograms of starch; after refining the starch, every 100 kilograms of oily nut cake and meal can be produced. It can produce 40 kilograms of malt sugar; after refining starch and malt sugar, every 100 kilograms of oily potato cake can be used to brew 25 kilograms of high-grade liquor with a degree of 50-70 degrees.
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Its comprehensive development and economic utilization value is extremely high, and it is known as the “all-round nut”.
Farmers who grow tiger nuts can obtain a net profit of at least 2,000 yuan per mu. The profit is equivalent to 2 times that of corn, 2.5 times that of peanuts, 3 times that of soybeans, and 5 times that of rapeseed. Planting tiger nuts in desertified areas can help local farmers get rid of poverty while also ensuring that the people have enough food. Use green and organic oil.
It is foreseeable that the tiger nut industry will be booming.