ABSTRACT
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Two definitions of fruit (botanical and commercial) can be found in the literature. Botanically, a fruit is “a ripened ovary” usually developing as part of the plant that contains the ovules that become the seeds of the plant. This definition is frequently too strict for the idea of fruit that people normally
have; for example, it does not include apples or strawberries in its classification (Wills et al., 1981). The other definition of fruit can be stated as “the parts of a tree or bush that contain seeds and are often eaten for their usually sweet flesh” (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, 1990). Under this more common definition, the tomato is eaten as a vegetable because it is not sweet although it is technically a fruit because it contains seeds. Fruits are essentially dessert foods (Wills et al., 1981).
