Lemons are too sour to be eaten like other fruits but add a distinctive flavor to beverages, food dishes and sauces. Lemon trees are different than other citrus trees because they produce fruit all year long and are more sensitive to frost. Lemons can also be stored for a longer period of time than other citrus fruits. This made lemons and limes useful on long sailing voyages as they could be stored up to six months. More than half of the lemon crop in the United States is processed into lemon juice and related products using lemon concentrate.
Phytochemicals give color, flavor and smell to plants.
Lemons contain flavonoids that act as an anti-cancer agent. The research on phytochemicals and their importance in health is still emerging. This increases the importance of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables every day to take advantage of the known nutritional components plus the benefits of phytochemicals.