Chakotra – Health Benefits, Uses and Important Facts

Chakotra, also known as grapefruit and pomelo, has a great taste and can be used in many ways in the kitchen. It also has a treasure trove of good nutrients. It has a lot of vitamin C, which boosts your immune system, and B vitamins, which keep your metabolism in check. Chakotra has a lot of good antioxidants like carotenoid, flavonoid, and phenolic antioxidants that are very good for the skin.

Culinary use of Chakotra

Chakotra fruits are quite big and have a hard green, yellow, or orange peel that surrounds a soft, fleshy pulp. This part of the fruit is used to make soups, salads, noodles, juices, smoothies, milkshakes, and puddings because it tastes sweet and has a hint of sourness. Chakotra is also often used to add a burst of tangy, fruity flavour to cocktails and mocktails.

Not only does the grapefruit have great health benefits, but it also has a unique scientific name that makes it well-known in the market. It is known as Citrus X Paradisi by scientists. People think that the main reason why the grapefruit is called a "cluster" is because it grows in groups. In the Marathi language, it is also known as Papanas and Toranjan.

Chakotra comes in different colours as well, including red, white, pink, and yellow.

What is chakotra? 

Chakotra is a subtropical citrus tree that has a taste that is somewhere between sour and sweet. The taste of this fruit can sometimes be bitter as well. It is a hybrid fruit that came about when the sweet orange and pomelo species got together. Chakotra takes the benefits of both of these plants and gives them to its users as a single benefit.

Plant description:

Chakotra tree is tall, with a trunk that might be crooked and irregular branches that hang down low. The petioles (spines) of leaves are clearly winged and have different elliptical shapes. The top of the leaf feels like leather, and the bottom of the leaf is hairy.

The flowers smell nice and are a yellowish-white colour. The flowers grow on the plant's new growth, which starts to show up in late winter.

The fruit is big and has a sweet/sour centre covered by a greenish-yellow peel that is easy to peel off. It has pretty thick skin. Also, a chakotra tree's fruit is the biggest citrus fruit in the world.

Health benefits of chakotra:

1. Helps keep your heart healthy: The antioxidants in chakotra are great for keeping your heart healthy because they lower triglycerides in the body. It keeps you from having a stroke or a heart attack because it lowers cholesterol, which can clog up the arteries.

2. Helps you lose weight: It's a good fruit for people who want to lose weight. Chakotra is a fruit that is high in fibre and helps lower blood pressure and lower the amount of fat in the blood. Because of this, it can be used in these diets to help people lose weight.

3. Good for diabetics. Chakotra has a low Glycemic index, which makes it a good food for diabetics. Grapefruit's active ingredient, naringin, works like a drug that makes it easier for the body to handle glucose.

4. It helps your immune system: Most citrus fruits are good for your immune system because they have a lot of vitamin C, and grapefruit is no different. When you eat grapefruit on a regular basis, it helps your body fight off disease-causing pathogens and strengthens your metabolism so you can heal faster from infections. It has bio compounds like limonene, pinene, and citral that are found in nature. All of these help your immune system.

5. Anti-cancer: Chakotra may lower the risk of cancer because they are full of antioxidants that fight oxidative stress and free radicals that can cause cancer in the body. The fruit is also good at fighting cancer because it has lycopene in it.

6. Prevents heart attack: It has a lot of flavonoids, which, like all citrus fruits, lower the risk of having an ischemic stroke.

7. Prevents wrinkles: Vitamin C is one of the most important nutrients for making collagen, which gives the skin a young look. Chakotra is full of vitamin C, which makes it a great food for your skin.

How to shop for chakotra?

When buying grapefruit, you should choose the ones that are heavier because they are ripe and have a lot of water. Smoothness and shine are also signs of health. A good chakotra also smells good near its stem.

How to eat a chakotra?

To get the best taste, take out all of the pith from each segment. If you don't, the pith will add a strong bitter taste. "Peel, peel, peel" is the grapefruit mantra. Only the sacs of juice that look like tear drops should be left. Since it is a hardy fruit, it can last about two weeks at room temperature.