Velvet Apples (Diospyros blancoi)

The tree

Velvet Apple also known as Bisbul (Indonesia), Butter Fruit, Persimmon, Mabolo   (The Philippines) and Kamagong is the Fruit native to The Philippines and now can also be found around South East Asia Region with the scientific name Diospyros blancoi.

The fruit is typically reddish-brown in color, and while it is edible, with creamy, soft flesh, the smell of velvet apples is considered by many people to be unpleasant, commonly compared to the smell of cat feces or rotten cheese.

Characteristics of the tree: 

Tree of Diospyros blancoi A. DC naturally habitat is in Primary Tropical Rainforest and Secondary Rainforest from low to medium altitudes.  It is a evergreen tree, 7-15 m tall, with a conical crown, with trunk diameter about 50 to 80 cm wide. Straight trunked, with black or blackish color, branched, more or less horizontally and terraced, with a conical overall crown that is dense and densely packed with leaves so that it is dark on the inside.

The Flowers

It is a dioecious plant, with separate plants bearing male or female flowers. The urn-shaped male flowers are borne on axillary cymes, in small clusters of 3-7 flowers. The corolla is four-lobed and creamy white in color. The urn-shaped female flowers are similar in appearance to the male flowers, except that they are solitary, and slightly larger than the male flowers. For cultivation you could propagated the tree by seed or grafting.  

Fruit:

Fruit shape is round or flattened round, 5-12 × 8-10 cm, finely hairy like velvet, reddish brown then bright red and then slightly dull when ripe, with a "cap" of flower petals that do not fall off. Flesh is whitish in color, rather hard and dense, rather dry, slightly astringent sweet and smells good; covered with a thin hairy fruit skin. The strong smell is a bit like cheese and durian, for some people it's nauseating, some even say it smells like cat litter. Seeds up to 10 grains, skin brown, wedge-shaped somewhat like a puck, 4 × 2.5 × 1.5 cm (in the thick).

Velvet Apple

According to some credible source Diospyros blancoi A. DC. Known as an evergreen tree species of high-quality wood. Mabolo or Velvet Apple, the fruit of this plant is quite popular around some countries in South East Asia, but its potential in economic use has not been fully explored. Mabolo has a rich aroma. Of the 39 different volatile compounds isolated, its intact fruit and peel were found to both contain 24 compounds, whereas the pulp contained 28 compounds. The most important aroma compounds were esters and α-farnesene. 

Nutritions Value :

The fruit has 60-73% edible portion which contains, per 100 g: water 83.0-84.3 g, protein 2.8 g, fat 0.2 g, carbohydrates 11.8 g, fibre 1.8 g, ash 0.4-0.6 g, calcium 46 mg, phosphorus 18 mg, iron 0.6 mg, vitamin A 35 IU, thiamine 0.02 mg, riboflavin and niacin 0.03 mg, vitamin C 18 mg. The energy value averages 332 kJ/100 g.

Health Benefit:

• Reducing Skin Irritation

Apply the pulp topically to lower inflammation and skin irritation. Apply the pulp and juice on snakebites and other toxic invasions in the body, lower the effects of problems and counteract toxins.

• Hypertension and Heart Health

Velvet apple has potassium which acts as a vasodilator. It relaxes the blood vessels, lowers stress on heart and also blood pressure. The presence of fiber content helps to lower cholesterol. 

• Immune system strength

It is rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C. These vitamins are antioxidants that can help you to rid of the free radicals that can mutate the healthy cells in cancerous cells. These vitamins also can help you to prevent chronic diseases, prevent premature aging, increase the health and appearance of your skin, and also it can stimulate cellular development and growth.

• Circulation

The presence of meaningful amount of iron stimulates red blood cells amount in the body. It promotes oxygenation of vital tissues and muscles, increases rapidity of therapeutic process of cells, stimulates development of hair and increases metabolic efficiency.

• Reduces physical weakness:

Due to its high nutritional value, Velvet Apple reduces physical weakness. Calcium in Velvet Apple makes bones strong. Guava also plays an important role in controlling blood pressure and diabetes. Reduces the risk of cancer: Relieves constipation due to its high fiber content. It reduces the risk of various intestinal diseases and colon cancer.

Economic Value:

Even though it has such good benefits, it can be consumed directly as a table fruit. But unfortunately, so far there is no global or regional data on the production potential of this fruit.

This fruit is still a 'gift from nature' considering that in Southeast Asia, South Asia to East Asia there is no plantation business management for this plant. This fruit is mostly produced from plants that grow in the forest, the level of cultivation is still very minimal. Maybe even just a home scale.

It would be very difficult to estimate production, but it would be easier if an industry started to develop that specifically manages the cultivation of this plant.

Mabolo can be consumed directly as a fruit. However, the possibility of producing its derivatives is also open. Mabolo can be used as raw material herbal health products, as raw material of fruit syrup and other drinking products, as fruit powder to support other products such as cosmetics, food and others. Lots of potential!

Scientific classification:

• Kingdom : Plantae
• Subkingdom : Tracheobionta
• Superdivision : Spermatophyta
• Division : Magnoliophyta
• Class : Magnoliopsida
• Subclass : Dilleniidae
• Ordo : Ebenales
• Family : Ebenaceae
• Genus : Diospyros
• Spesies : Diospyros blancoi A. DC.