Boustan Tomato Paste cans

Boustan Tomato Paste

Tomato is food present in the diet of all gastronomic cultures in all countries of the world. It is a healthy food with multiple beneficial properties for health. The production of tomato products has experienced a noticeable increase in recent years, with the number of products made from this vegetable increasing every time. Economic trends in the tomato processing industry leave little doubt that the demand for canned products in all their forms will continue to increase.

Why Boustan Tomato Paste?

Boustan tomato paste made from 100% natural and fresh tomatoes obtained by our farmers through sustainable production systems that care for the environment and the product. The goal is to keep only the best ones to get the best tomato paste.

  • Boustan Tomato Paste has concentrations of 22-24º Brix.
  • Boustan Paste is as pure and natural as tomatoes.
  • We are a certified company having certifications of ISO 9001, ISO 10002, ISO 22000, FDA, GMP, HACCP, and SA800.

Technological improvements and a constant commitment to innovation allow us to offer a superior quality product, with food safety standards well above those required. Taking care of the production process from planting to harvesting and the conditions of our climate and soil allow us to create a different product, with its own conditions that give our tomato paste international prestige.

All this has allowed us to generate high-quality products derived from fresh tomatoes that are a reference within the market for their excellence.

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How to choose sustainable foods?

How to choose sustainable foods?

It is essential to choose a model of healthy eating and as little as possible to shed agricultural ecosystems.

In this case, a return to traditional dietary guidelines is imposed, which we now call the “Mediterranean diet“, based on some simple suggestions, for example:

Increase the consumption of legumes (legumes contain many proteins at a low price, and contribute to regenerate nutrients from crop fields). Usually, increase the percentage of vegetables in our diet.

Reduce meat consumption. The current average consumption is about 80 kilos per person per year, but half of this amount may be sufficient. It is about choosing better quality meat, if possible from animals raised by pastures and hay, and not with industrial compound feed.

The Spanish Society of Organic Agriculture has, among others, a section on current agricultural debates, with special reference to the problem of GM crops.

Other specialized sites are those dedicated to organic agriculture. People in Action, or the pages of the agricultural section of the Alternative Network.

Fair Trade

The so-called “fair trade” allows products to be purchased – including foods such as coffee, cocoa, tea, sugar, etc. – from developing countries through commercialization channels that guarantee that the benefits of the sale fall directly on the producers, and not on complex networks of intermediaries that set expensive prices for final consumers and pay little money to producers.

Foods marketed through fair trade networks must meet clear sustainability and quality requirements. The number of establishments that sell these products is several thousand in Europe, and their number continues to grow.

10 organic products

Organic food frees us from accumulating toxic waste in the body. The food must be especially organic in those foods that are most suspected of harboring chemicals.

  1. Meat – The outbreak of mad cow disease gave a great boost to organic meat. The regulations impose on farmers that they cannot give antibiotics or growth hormones to animals. Mammals and farm birds should feed on grain grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The feed with meat by-products is also not allowed. In addition, organic veal must come from a cow that was given organic feed during the last third of its pregnancy.
  2. Dairy – Organic milk comes from cows fed from grains grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Neither growth hormone nor antibiotics are allowed. Organic dairy cows should graze in the field regularly. The same precepts apply to the rest of the products derived from milk such as yogurt, ice cream, butter, or cheese.
  3. Fruit – When washing a piece of fruit, we are not eliminating all pesticides and if we peel it, we are losing nutritional benefits. Apples, nectarines, and peaches are the foods most loaded with pesticides. Strawberries absorb a large amount of poison and cannot be peeled. In the feeding of children, it is especially necessary to look for the ecological label.
  4. Eggs – Organic eggs come from birds that feed on organic grain and are not supplied with growth hormones or antibiotics. Country or free-range chickens must also have access to the yard.
  5. Coffee – In addition to worrying about having the eco-label, it would be good to also look for the Fair Trade label, which guarantees that coffee producers have been paid fairly. It should also be considered if it is of shade-grown origin, that is, of coffee grown in the shade of a forest, a production method that preserves the huge trees of the jungle and the biodiversity it houses.
  6. Potatoes – Potatoes absorb twice as many toxins when grown under non-ecological conditions. Fungicides prevent the so-called blight, the cause of the potato famine in the mid-1800s in Ireland, and that killed about a million people. There are no good methods to combat it, so the price of organic potatoes is almost double that of non-organic potatoes.
  7. Vegetables – Peppers, whatever they are, absorb pesticides as sponges through their thin skin. They are prone to insect infestation, so they are subject to heavy spraying of insecticides on large commercial farms. Even if they wash or peel, their contamination is not eliminated. Other vegetables that show a high level of pesticide residues are celery, green beans, and tomatoes. According to studies, the rates of pesticides in carrots and cauliflower are considerable if their origin is non-ecological, so they are other good candidates for organic buying.
  8. Green leafy vegetables – Insects, worms, and slugs love the tender leaves of spinach and lettuce. Some of the most potent pesticides are applied to the vegetables we use in our salads. Spinach is the vegetable with the highest amount of pesticides. On the contrary, organic farmers use non-toxic repellents and traps such as nets. Vegetables such as kale, mustard, and turnip greens, and cabbage are also at the top of the table due to the risk of contamination with pesticides.
  9. For babies – Babies and children are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and any other chemical. Many pesticides used in fruits and vegetables are toxic to the brain and can interfere with their development. Growth hormones in meat can cause precocious puberty in girls. Organic food can benefit the child even before it is born since toxic chemicals pass from the mother to the fetus through the bloodstream.
  10. Beware of industrial food – Experts say that everything eaten in abundance should be organic, to avoid overexposure to certain chemicals. While a few pesticide residues in the snack bag may not be bad, if we consume them daily we start betting on the accumulation of toxins in our body. The same goes for the elaborated sauces, the pre-cooked food, the industrial bakery…

    Not all foods also store toxic substances. In fact, some of them are not so contaminated when they are not ecological. Products that do not absorb pesticides too much or that are peeled are asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, kiwi, mango, onions, papaya, pineapple.
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Afghan pine nuts for export

Which are the best and healthiest nuts to eat?

They reduce cholesterol levels, help to lose weight, and even prevent cognitive deterioration. There is no problem in eating them because nuts have multiple capacities and enrich the diet.

Although they have bad press because of their high fat content, between 50% and 70%, and because of their energy density, 160 or 180 kcal per 100 grams, nuts bring more benefits than displeasure for health. In addition, in addition to being an excellent source of essential nutrients, they provide a high content of proteins, antioxidants, fiber, minerals and vitamins B and E.

To which is added that the fats they contain are ‘good’, that is, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, which, as pointed out in the Mayo Clinic portal, “help to lower LDL cholesterol levels, lower triglycerides, decrease the coagulation of the blood and improve the health of the blood vessels”. With such properties, it is not surprising that the WHO recommends its inclusion in the framework of a healthy diet.

A handful a day

Moreover, the Spanish Heart Foundation advises eating 50 grams of dried fruit per day. Despite these indications, statistics reveal that one in three Spaniards never consume them and that less than 8% do so on a daily basis. In this sense, the medical community agrees to affirm that it is not convenient to leave aside the nuts.

Of course, we must take into account how they are consumed. The best way is to eat them in ‘raw version’, without additives or salt, or excluded from certain preparations. Moreover, although they do not have miraculous properties or cure diseases by magic, the truth is that they can cover various nutritional needs or help in the regulation of ailments.

You could say that there is a nut for every need:

Bone diseases: pine nuts and almonds

Almonds are the nuts that provide the most calcium, specifically 269 mg per 100 g. Therefore, they are a good option to complement or increase the levels of this mineral and prevent osteoporosis or combat bone discomfort. For their part, pine nuts contribute interesting amounts of zinc, 6.45 g per 100 g, which helps in the formation and mineralization of bones and joints.

The Spanish Heart Foundation advises the intake of 50 grams of dried fruit per day

Intestinal transit: nuts and pistachios

The shortage of fiber is, along with inadequate water intake and sedentary lifestyle, one of the main causes of constipation. With 10.6% of this nutrient, pistachios are good friends of the good functioning of the intestines. Closely followed by nuts, which contribute 6.5%, which makes them good enemies of constipation.

Cholesterol: hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds

These nuts have the power to contribute to the improvement of cardiovascular health. They are rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which help maintain the health of blood vessels and control cholesterol levels. The most outstanding from the nutritional point of view is the nuts since they are the only dry fruit that contributes important quantities of omega-3.

This fatty acid is important because it helps reduce the cholesterol and triglyceride levels mentioned, as well as lower blood pressure. Hazelnuts and almonds lower blood lipid levels and homocysteine, an amino acid that in large quantities damages the lining of the arteries and increases the risk of blockage of blood vessels.

Diabetes: cashews, pine nuts, pistachios…

The data extracted from the study conducted by Dr. David Jenkins, published in the journal ‘Diabetes Care’, suggest that these nuts help control the levels of lipids and blood glucose in type 2 diabetics (always better without salt, obviously) .

On the other hand, it should be noted that they are rich in trace elements – minerals that the body needs in minimal amounts – especially magnesium. This is a coadjuvant of insulin resistance, which helps prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. The anarcardos, with 292 mg per 100 g, are the ones that contribute the most. For its part, pistachios also stand out for its high content of potassium -1,025 mg, whose deficiency prevents the control of diabetes.

Overweight: nuts, hazelnuts and almonds

Traditionally it has been linked to nuts with the increase in weight. However, it is not true and there are numerous studies that prove it. For example, the one published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which concludes, “diets rich in nuts, compared to different control diets, do not increase body weight, body mass index or body circumference. The waist. Our findings support the inclusion of nuts in healthy diets for cardiovascular prevention.”

The oiliest nuts, such as walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts, provide healthy fats and have a powerful satiating effect, which leads to a decrease in the consumption of other foods, often unhealthy.

Dementia: almonds and hazelnuts

Another of the benefits attributed to this type of fruits is its possible power in the prevention of cognitive dementia. Both almonds and hazelnuts are rich in vitamin E, which is related to less cognitive impairment and even a delay in it.

This is demonstrated by the US study conducted jointly by the Massachusetts General Hospital (HGM), the Bedford Medical Center, and the Harvard Medical School. Concludes, after the analysis of 540 patients in the Memory Disorders Unit of the HGM, that the intake of vitamin E delays the deterioration of cognitive functions in patients with Alzheimer’s.

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apiculture in Afghanistan

Apiculture: How is pure honey produced?

Apiculture: How is pure honey produced?

In the spring and early summer months, when flowers flood the fields of our geography, we can see thousands of bees working tirelessly to collect pollen, water and resin, among other juices directly from the flowers. To these juices they add other substances that they produce from their own organism, to transform them into pure honey.

Sweet, thick, golden, bright, delicious and healthy … These attributes deserve the honey of bee, whose production occurs in several parts of Afghanistan, but where do the bees take the nectar that turn into golden honey?

Today we will explain to you in very simple and non-scientific terms the way in which honey is produced.

It is important, first to know the division of this work by these insects, which is perfect in a hive since they all have their role. The queen, as her name says, the one who commands and all the others work for her. Then there are the workers, who collect the nectar and the pollen; and there are the drones, called parasites, who follow the workers, but they are the pimps.

In the organization, there are other bees as the explorers, who go out to look for flowers and then return to warn the collectors about the location. There are also the builders of the cells of the hives, the sentinels or soldiers who take care of the hive and even some so-called fans, responsible for cooling the combs.

In sweet words, all the bees of a hive or honeycomb have their functions, they must fulfill their work; otherwise, we humans could never enjoy the true honeys of life.

Now, how is the honey production process?

The scout bees leave the house early in search of nectar. They arrive at the hives and notify the collectors.

The collectors collect the nectar with the tongue. They suck it and store it in what is called the stomach of honey.

In this process, they add enzymes and nutrients. Once the nectar is collected, they take flight and move to the outside of the hive, where the receiving bees take it to take it inside, that is, to the wax cells.

The bees themselves produce the wax, and now of building the cells of the combs, they secrete it through the stomach. In these cells, they not only deposit the nectar for honey, but also the eggs that, after 21 days, become bees.

About a week is needed for that nectar to turn into honey.

The development of the beekeeping industry is important in agriculture, since this activity is possible to extend several services, such as the pollination of crops, in addition to the production of honey, pollen and propolis, among other derivatives of this industry.

How good honey is produced.

Honey is a product produced by the bees themselves, with the sole objective of permanently feeding their hungry larvae and thus ensure life during the harsh winter.

However, the bees in their flights only collect a few milligrams of pollen, nectar and water, but having several thousand bees making several thousand daily flights, they get to collect impressive amounts of food for their hives.

Most of the pollen and nectar will be consumed by themselves and their larvae during the months of maximum work, that is, in spring and summer and the rest of their production will be used to procure food during the harsh months of winter and the the rest of the year.

When one begins, it takes between eight and nine months to give the first harvest. The best thing to do is to start from February, which is the best months, and to place the apiary as close to a water source, no farther than 500 meters, and with lots of vegetation around so that the bees pollinate better.

How are the castes?

The queen puts on the offspring and can give 3,500 eggs a day. It is the only fertile female and lives up to years. The drone paired with the queen. They can live between 60 and 65 days. The workers are responsible for cleaning the hive and pecoring. They can live up to 65 days.

Conclusion

Honeybees are the best and most effective pollination agent for fruit trees and other plants, because they carry pollen from a flower and transfer it to another flower resulting from high flowering and pollen yields and harvest levels of a farm. In addition, they bring the garden 100% to its maximum. At least four honeybee hives are required for a thousand square meter of land, where cultivated trees are planted.

Boustan Research and Development Farm is home to an apiary of 60 honeybee hives each containing several thousand bees. These honeybees play a vital role in crop pollination, which greatly affect yields and business productivity.

Considering the economic benefits of honeybees, Boustan plans to expand its apiary with the addition of hundred plus hives by the beginning of 2020 thereby capitalizing on their pollinating capabilities, contribution to honey production and supply to the local markets.

It should be mentioned that the main purpose of the maintenance of bees on the farm is the pollination of trees, and honey is the second objective.

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