Tropical fruits: a source of lipids

Approximately 40% of the earth’s land mass is located in the tropics and it is here that most of the world’s underdeveloped nations with their growing populations reside. The term tropical refers to the region between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn or that region of the earth that lies between 23°27ω latitude north and south. The near constant warm temperature throughout the year is an important characteristic of the tropics. There is only a few degrees difference between the warmest and coldest months of the year and in fact the difference between day and night is greater than between winter and summer. The average temperature is about 27°C with very little variation in day length. The longest day is a little less than 13 h long. The sUbtropics encompasses the region from the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn to about 40° latitude north and south. The summers are hotter and the winters are cooler than in the tropics. The average temperature for the coldest month can approach 10°C. Generally, the humidity is lower and the difference in day length is greater than the tropics (Samson, 1986).