They were not as we know them: changes that have occurred in the fruits we consume every day

Today, records dating back thousands of years have been found, indicating that fruits have undergone significant transformations due to human intervention , especially through domestication and selective breeding. Wild fruits, small and often bitter, were modified by our ancestors to make them larger, sweeter, and juicier.

Examples such as bananas, watermelons, and strawberries show how these species have changed significantly from their original versions, often almost beyond recognition. This process, called traditional genetic improvement, has been based on selecting and crossing plants with desired characteristics.

See more: Sugar vs. Sweeteners: Revealing the Choice That Could Be Harming Your Body

Thus, according to portals such as Sader, Vegetation History and Archeobotany, Unam and Pnas, these fruits have changed drastically.

The watermelon , originally from Sudan, dates back 5,000 years to Egypt; it was once bitter in taste, had yellow flesh, and measured 10 to 15 cm.

See more: Avoid them: four foods that give you bad breath​ On the other hand, there are strawberries that would have originated in temperate regions of Asia and Europe since the first century BC; they appear recorded in Roman poems; they also did not have much flavor, they were smaller and harder . Since the 18th century, the French crossed them with Chilean and American strawberries and they were the first antecedent of those known today.

In the case of oranges, they are native to China and are estimated to have emerged 25 million years ago. Between 1027 and 256 BC, they were offered as tribute to the emperor. Furthermore , they were once elongated, their skin wrinkled, small, and very bitter; now they are large and sweet, according to Scientific American and the United States Department of Agriculture. See more: The devices you use today that won't disappear from your life in the future.

The banana is said to have originated in Southeast Asia. Buddhist scriptures record the existence of this fruit dating back to 600 BC. In ancient times, bananas were small, had many hard seeds, and were less fleshy . It is believed that two varieties were crossed in Africa, and the bananas we know today were born, according to Australian Banana Browers. See more: Mid-year bonus: sanctions for companies that don't pay it and how long the deadline is.

PORTFOLIO