Star fruit can be toxic for kidney patients

All it takes is one fruit or 100ml of juice and the ordinarily harmless star fruit becomes poison in a matter of hours for kidney patients.

University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) consultant nephrologist Prof Dr Tan Si-Yen said this was what happened to Tang Gon Seang, who has been suffering a kidney ailment.

The 66-year-old Malaysian was in Shenzhen visiting his son when he passed out on March 29 after eating star fruits and was rushed to the Shenzhen General Hospital where he fell into a coma.

“Star fruits contain a neurotoxin, which is not present in other fruits, affecting the brain and nerves. In healthy persons, the kidneys filter it out. In kidney patients, it cannot be removed and worsens their condition,” he said.

More than 10 other patients in the hospital suffered the same condition after consuming star fruits. Two of them died.

Star Fruit: Nutrition . Selection . Storage

Also known as the Carambola, the star fruit reveals perfect stars when cut crosswise.

How to Select
Select firm, shiny star fruit that are yellow without a lot of brown on the skin.

How to Store
Ripen star fruit at room temperature until you can smell their aroma then refrigerate for up to a week.

Nutrition Benefits
Fat free, cholesterol free, sodium free, good source of dietary fiber, excellent source of vitamin C.

Star Fruit

Australian native.

An emergent aquatic, annual or perennial herb with 1.5-10 cm long, narrowly ovate to ovate, leaves on slender leaf stalks, 0.5-1 cm long with semi-transparent, membranous wings at their bases.

Flower-heads erect and panicle-like with flowers arranged in one to several successive whorls; each whorl of 3-12 flowers and each flower subtended by a bract. Flowers consist of perianth segments of which the 3 outer are green and the 3 inner white or pale pink. Fruit are two seeded follicles, 5-6 mm long and arranged like the spokes of a wheel.
   
Scattered throughout Victoria except for semi-arid regions. Growing in fresh-water lakes and swamps.

Star Fruit Recipes Part 3

Marinated Sour Shrimp

• 2 pounds large shrimp with shell
• 6 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 red chilies
• 4 sour star fruit, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Put shrimp in a pan with 8 cups water and bring to boil. Simmer for 4 minutes, drain and plunge shrimp in iced water for 30 seconds. Drain, then peel shrimp. Grind or blend shallots, chilies and star fruit. Add salt to taste and a little lime or lemon juice if not sour enough. Combine with shrimp and serve.

What is star fruit?

What is star fruit? At an upscale restaurant, my plate was garnished with a star-shaped food. I was told it is called star fruit. What is star fruit? Is it edible?

The carambola, botanically known as Averrhoa carambola L., is native to the Orient despite the Spanish sound of its name. It is often called a star fruit because of the shape of the slices when cut horizontally.

The star fruit has five lobes covered in an edible waxy yellow skin. The flavor of the yellow flesh is reminiscent of citrus fruit and varies from quite sour to mildly sweet, depending upon the variety. Some contain small dark seeds in the center.

Carambolas are now a fledgling commercial crop with most being grown in Florida. Prime harvesting season is from late summer to early winter, although some will bear fruit year-round in tropical moderate locations. Those with tinges of green on the lobes may be further ripened at room temperature.

Due to their popularity as a garnish, star fruit is now being sold in many specialty produce markets as well as larger chain grocery stores.

Fresh carambolas are often eaten out of hand like most fruits, as well as in salads, although the most popular use by far in the U.S. is for garnishing. Try substituting star fruit for citrus in both savory and sweet recipes.

Celestial Starfruit

Only one fruit can offer such a stellar shape when sliced cross-wise. The Starfruit, also known as the Carambola, is a beautiful tropical fruit that’s now in season and available in select supermarket produce departments.

Starfruits have five prominent ribs running the entire length of the fruit, which can vary from 4 to 10 inches long. The Starfruit's glossy golden skin encloses a translucent, crispy and juicy flesh. The flavor is sometimes compared to a light lemony apple-grape-pear combination with slight tropical notes.

Starfruit is high in vitamin C, and is fabulously refreshing in the hot summer months. When ripe, the skin turns a pale to golden yellow color with some brown spots along the ridges, which indicate sugar development. (An overripe fruit will be yellow with brown spots.) Refrigerate ripe fruit immediately and consume within a few days.

Grown all over the world in tropical climates, Frieda’s Specialty Produce distributes Starfruit from Taiwan and sometimes Florida. Taiwan-grown Starfruit tend to be larger and firmer than Florida crop.

Starfruit is easy to enjoy fresh, and really adds visual interest to dishes and drinks with those beautiful five-point star slices. Simply slice off the very outer tips of each of the ribs, to remove any of the off-color sugar spots. Then slice the fruit crosswise into star shapes and poke out any seeds.

Star Fruit Steak

Ingredients
    * 1 1/4 pounds beef sirloin steak
    * 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
    * 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    * 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
    * 1 carambola (star fruit), cut into 1/3 inch slices

Directions
   1. Place the beef sirloin steak in a medium dish and cover with Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and seasoning salt, adjusting the amounts to taste. Place star fruit slices around the steak. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator approximately 4 hours, turning steak once.
   2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate.
   3. Cook steak 3 to 5 minutes per side on the prepared grill, or to desired doneness.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving  Calories: 336 | Total Fat: 21.5g | Cholesterol: 95mg