Yini Luju?

© Marco Beltrametti
Luju yintfo lenongotelako lenambutelako leyakhiwe ngeluju (tinyosi teluju, tinyosi letigcwala yonkhe indzawo kanye netinyosi letingasutelani) kanjalo netintfutfwane netilwanyana letindizako letingasutela bantfu. Lungaphindze lisetjentiswe tinyosi teluju njengendlela yekudla kwentela sinkhwa setinyosi (kudla lokubalulekile kwetinyosi letincane) futsi ngetikhatsi tekudla lokushodako. Belisolo lisetjentiswa ngemadvodza cishe sikhatsi lesiningi kweminyaka letinkhulungwane letisiphohlongo njengendlela yekudla futsi njengemutsi.

Lakhiwa Kanjani Luju?

Luju lwakheka kusuka ekunongoteleni kwetimbali, kushukela lophuma etilwanyaneni noma kujusi lenongotelako yetitjalo.
Libulo lwetinyosi letindiza tifuna lokunongotelako phindze tibuyele kumabhokisi ato kwentela kuyokhuluma (ngekudansa) lendzawo yendlela yalokunongotelako.
Lolokunongotelako kubese kucokelelwa tinyosi letiyaluka kudla letibese tikugcina enhlanyelweni yato (tisu teluju). Kubuyela kulamabhokisi, letitinyosi letiyaluka kudla tibese tishobelisa lolokunongotelako lokusuka enhlanyelweni yato kuya kunhlanyelo yetinyosi letikhicitile dvute nekungeneni kwelibhokisi. Lolokunongotelako kutsatfwa kuye kulujulolunetikhala–imvamisa ngetulu kwalelibhokisi, khashane lanapho kunendlovukati khona kanye nebantfwabayo labahlala etindzaweni letingaphansi kwelibhokisi.
Lana kuleluju lelinetikhala, lolokunongotelako kushobeliswa ku hexagonal (emacala-lasitfupha) tinhlayiya. "Sonkhe sikhatsi nakufakwe lokusha lokunongotelako kuyangetwa kuletinhlayiya, letinyosi letakhako tengeta le ‘invertase’ le enzyme lebese ibulala loshukela (indlela yashukela lephuma kumoba) kuya ku glucose (shukela wengati) ne fructose (shukela wetitselo)", David Tarpy uyachaza, phrofesa we entomology lose Nyuvesi yase Carolina State.
Lolokunongotelako kutfwele emanti lacishe abe ngu 70%, lube luju lutfwele cishe 17–18% wemanti. Ngako, kute tifike/titsintse lolokunambutelako kweluju, lokumantana lokuphuma kushukela walokunongotelako kumele kushisiswe. Loku kwenteka ngekupholiswa kwaletinyosi’ timphiko.

Ngesikhatsi lamanti asashisile futsi nalesigaba lesingisoo sekufikiwe kiso (luju nyalo ‘selivutsiwe’), letinhlayiya taleluju lelinetikhala tivaleka nge ‘tivalo’. Letivalo temanti etinyosi tivikela kubamanti lokusuka ngekucindzetelwa. Ngesikhatsi kuvaliwe, lolujulwetikhala lulunga kutsi lingavunwa noma linikwe bantfwana betinyosi. Imphuphu lemtfubi ihlanganiswa neluju ngaphambi lunikwe bantfwana betinyosi lamaprotein-lahlanganisiwe lavutsiwe.

Luhla lwe Luluju

Kwakha luju ngumsebenti lomatima. Ngekusho ngaloBona ngeTinyosi wase Melika, inyosiyeluju itovakashela timbale letingemashumi lasihlanu kuya ekhulwini ngeluhambo lwekucokelela futsi ingakhokha 0.8 g weluju ngesikhatsi sekuphila kwayo. Lokufundziwe ngemnyaka wa 2005 eTikweni leTemanti neMahlatsi ase Ningizimu Afrika lokungabekiselwa kutsi ema kg lalishumi nesihlanu seluju ngelibhokisi lokungakhokhwa ngemnyaka munye.

Kuvuna Luju

©Yves Tennevin
Bagcinibetinyosi bavuna lujulolunetikhala ngekucokelela phindze basuse lolujulwetikhala lelakhekile kulamabhokisi. Letivalo temanti etinyosi, kuvala lamaseli lapho kugcinwa khona loluju, kuyasuswa ngemukhwa bese lolokwakhekile kubekwa lapho kutsatfwe khona. Lokwekukhokha kuvame kuba kuba yintfo legegetelako (libhasikidi leliyalukako) lelijikelisa letitfombe ngelitubane leliphakeme. Lamandla lajikelako acindzetela loluju luphume kulolujulwetikhlala. Lolujulwetikhala loligamuka malula lubuyiselwa kulamabhokisi lapho khona letinyosi tisusa loluju lolusele bese ticala kulungisa phindze tikline iseli ngayinye. Labakhicita luju loluluhlata bakhokha luju ngekubandza kweligumbi phindze bangasebentisi emabhasikidi lajikako ekukhokheni loluju.
Ngemuva kwekukhokhwa kwalelujulwetikhala, loluju lingagcwaliswa kwentela kususa lolokumanti kwelujulwetikhala kanye naletinye tintfo. Ngalesinye sikhatsi kushisisa kuphangisa lendlela yekusebenta, kepha kutokhokha luju lolungeke lubekwe njenge ‘luju loluluhlata’. Luju lubese lufakwa emabhodleleni bese luyabhalwa.

Tinongo te Luju

©Shree Krishna Dhital
Luju lwakhiwa kusuka kulokunongotelako phindze lutfwele shukela longu (38% we fructose, 31% we glucose, 5% we dextrin na 1.5-3% we sucrose), emaprotein langu (0,5-2,3%) cishe tonkhe tintfo (kufana ne iron, iphosphor, imagnesium, icalcium) kanjalo ne organic acid kanye nasemkhatsini wa 18 kuya ku 20% wemanti. Luju luphindze lutfwale ienzymes letsite – invertase, diastase, amylase, phosphatase – lesita ngekugayeka kweluju.
Luju lolwakhiwe etitjwaleni letehlukene ativakali nje phindze tinuka ngekwehluka kepha tiyashiyana ngetinongo tato. Njengekutsi, lamavitamin lakuloluju (B1, B2,B3, B5, B6, H, K, C, E, PP, provitamin A) ukhuliswa ngekukhulisa linani lemphuphu lemtfubi kuloluju.
Kwehlukana ngekuvela kuyakhanya nawucatsanisa ngeluju lolwakhiwe kusuka, njengekutsi, timbale talokunongotelako (lokulula nalokucishe kubengulokunongotelako) kanye netimbali te eucalyptus (letimnyamana ngelibala nekuvelela kwemutsi, locinile).

Translated by Phindile Malotana