Celery

It thus contains 3 to 4 g of carbohydrates per 100 g (mainly simple carbohydrates, glucose and fructose), and less than 1 g of protein, i.e. rather a little less than in other fresh vegetables. Lipids, or fatty substances, only appear in trace amounts. The carbohydrate content of eggplant depends on the variety, but also on the degree of maturity: eggplants picked too early are low in carbohydrates (sometimes less than 2 g per 100 g), which is unfavorable for taste quality. Eggplant fibers are quite abundant: 2.5 g per 100 g. They are mainly composed of proto-pectins (pectins linked to the cell walls of the plant), and in lesser quantity by pectins and celluloses. When cooking, proto-pectins, like pectins, acquire a chewy and tender consistency. Among the mineral substances (which reach a total of 0.5 g per 100 g), potassium dominates (260 mg per 100 g), while sodium does not exceed 3 mg: this gives eggplant undeniable diuretic qualities. Due to its low energy intake, eggplant has a good mineral density (mineral content per 100 kilocalories): this is particularly the case for magnesium (72 mg/100 kcal), zinc (0.6 mg /100 kcal), manganese (0.8 mg/100 kcal). The vitamins are well diversified: group B vitamins, vitamin E (vegetable tocopherols), provitamin A in small quantities and of course vitamin C (at rates varying between 2 and 8 mg per 100 g, depending on the varieties and the seasons) . Other components are also present in small amounts in eggplant. This is the case of organic acids (maximum 400 mg per 100 g, with malic acid as the dominant); gallic tannins, more or less abundant depending on the variety, which are largely responsible for a certain astringency, and a browning of the pulp in the air. And finally, like all plants belonging to nightshades (such as tomatoes, potatoes, etc.), eggplant contains trace amounts of natural steroids. These substances, which are still difficult to extract and identify, have a characteristic odor (which is somewhat reminiscent of the smell of “earth”), and a rather bitter taste. They are concentrated mainly in the green parts of eggplants, in the leaves and in the roots of the plant.