Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota)

Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota) is a very popular fruit in Southeast Asia. This region is a major producer and consumer of this fruit. Sapodilla preferred mainly because it tastes sweet and soft flesh. This plant is thought to originate from tropical America-such as Guatemala, Mexico, and the West Indies-and in Java, this plant can be found in the lowlands. The Spanish colonizers brought from Mexico to the Philippines, and the possibility of it spreading to Southeast Asia.

Sapodilla has now grown in many tropical regions of the world. Brown manila germplasm collections are in Los Banos (Philippines), Queensland (Australia), India, Cuba, Brazil, Costa Rica, Florida and Hawaii (USA) and several other countries.

Sapodilla

Most sapodilla fruit eaten fresh as a table fruit.  However, sapodilla can also be processed into sherbet, mixed into ice cream, or used as jam. Sapodilla fruit juice can be concentrated into syrup, or fermented into wine or vinegar. The sap can be used as glue or varnish.

Characteristic of the three:

Large and shady tree, can grow up to 30-40 m tall, low-branched, rough-skinned trunk blackish gray to dark brown.  All passages containing latex, the milky white sap thick.

Single leaf, is having an intermittent, often accumulate at the tip of twigs, leaves flat brimmed, slightly hairy, dark green, shiny, round-egg shape oblong to somewhat lanceolate, 1.5 to 7 x 3.5 to 15 cm, the base and the tip wedge shape, stemmed from 1 to 3.5 cm, the main veins prominent on the lower side.

Single flowers in axillary panicles located near the end of the twigs, stalks 1-2 cm, often hanging, flower diameter s, / d 1.5 cm, brownish hairy side outside. The petals are usually arranged in two circles; crowns bell shape, white, share up to half the length of the tube.

Sapodilla can flower and fruit throughout the year, but in general there are one or two peak fruiting season. In Thailand, the peak season is between September and December, while in the Philippines between December-February.  Sapodilla fruit widely grown in lowland areas, although it grew well up to a height of about 2500 m above sea level.  Can grow at an altitude of 300 m above sea level,  sapodilla trees resistant to drought, salinity is somewhat higher, and the harsh winds. The most suitable soil is a sandy loam soil that is fertile and well-drained. 

The Fruit:

Manilkara zapota

Short-stemmed bunni fruit, round, oval or oblong, 3-6 x 3-8 cm, reddish to yellowish brown on the outside with coarse brown scales are easy to peel, often with the rest of the dried stigma stalk ends. Thin-skinned, with tender flesh and sometimes granular, reddish brown to yellowish, sweet and contains lots of juice.  Seed  can be up to 12 points, but most are less than 6, flat oval, glossy black or brownish, long about 2 cm,  white pieces of wax beans.

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz): Energy 347 kJ (83 kcal), Carbohydrates 19.96 g, Dietary fiber5.3 g, Fat 1.1 g, Protein 0.44 g, Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.02 mg (2%), Niacin (vit. B3) 0.2 mg (1%), Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.252 mg (5%), Vitamin B6 0.037 mg (3%), Folate (vit. B9) 14 μg (4%), Vitamin C 4.7 mg (18%), Calcium 21 mg (2%), Iron 0.8 mg (6%), Magnesium 12 mg (3%), Phosphorus 12 mg (2%), Potassium 193 mg (4%), Sodium 12 mg (1%), Zinc 0.1 mg (1%).

 

Source : USDA Database.

Economic facts:

Particularly in Southeast Asia, the fruit is very popular. However, so far there has not been enough data to determine the number of sapodilla fruit production both globally and regionally. This delicious fruit valuable, although not yet be called expensive on the market of Southeast Asia.

In Southeast Asia, this fruit cultivation spread evenly, especially in the Philippines and Indonesia, but there has been no cultivation on an industrial scale.

Scientific classification:
Kingdom : Plantae
(unranked) : Angiosperms
(unranked) : Eudicots
(unranked) : Asterids
Order : Ericales
Family : Sapotaceae
Genus : Manilkara

Read also : Guava (Psidium guajava)

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Mangosteen

Mangosteen

Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) is a member of the Clusiaceae family and the Garcinia genus. Garcinia is a large genus of about 400 species native to East India, the Malay Peninsula and Southeast Asia including Indonesia. In addition, based on morphological and cytological studies, it is estimated that the mangosteen originates from Southeast Asia. In addition, researchers argue that mangosteen is a fruit producer in Indonesia.

In fact, the mangosteen is a tropical fruit that has been used for hundreds of years around the world as a traditional medicine. Mangosteen trees can grow in the lowlands. The best growth is achieved in areas with an altitude of 500-600 m above sea level. In Indonesia, the centers for planting mangosteen trees are West Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, Riau, East Kalimantan, North Sumatra and North Sulawesi.

Europeans call this fruit the queen of tropical fruit, this title arises from the reasons for the pleasure of this fruit. Sweet, sour and fresh flavors come together in the perfect blend combination.

Tree and the fruit

The mangosteen is a tropical tree that grows in warm and stable temperatures, exposure to temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F) for long periods of time, generally killing the mature plant. Experienced horticulturists have grown this species outdoors and brought it for development in the extreme, south of Florida.

Mangosteen is obligate apomixis, the seeds do not come from fertilization and are thought to have narrow genetic diversity, so it is estimated that the mangosteen in nature is only one clone and has the same characteristics as its parent. Reality in the field shows the diversity of mangosteen plants which may be caused by environmental factors or genetic factors due to natural mutations in line with the history of mangosteen plants which are thousands of years old.

Mangosteen

Young mangosteen fruit, which do not require fertilization to grow (see agamospermy), will first be pale green or almost white under the canopy. As the fruit enlarges over the next 2 to 3 months, its skin will become a dark green color. During this period, the fruit may increase in size until the skin, which is 6–8 cm (2.4–3.1 in) in outside diameter, remains firm until final ripening.

The chemical properties of the underside of the mangosteen rind consist of various polyphenols, including xanthones and tannins which ensure that the astringents can inhibit the attention of insects, fungi, plant viruses, bacteria and animal predators, when the fruit is not yet ripe. Discoloration and softening of the skin are natural processes that indicate the ripening of the edible fruit and the seeds have finished developing.

Mangosteen fruit has a spherical shape, diameter 3.5-7 cm, dark purple color, thick fruit wall, milky white flesh, with yellow sap. In a mangosteen there are 1-3 seeds, covered by a thick seed membrane watery, white, and edible. In Indonesia, mangosteen has a flowering time between May and January.

Nutritional fact:

Furthermore, mangosteen contains bioactive compounds such as xanthones, terpenes, anthocyanins, tannins, phenols, and several vitamins. The nutritional value of mangosteen per 100 g includes 80.9 g water, 0.5 g protein, 18.4 g carbohydrates, 1.7 g fiber, 9 mg calcium, 14 mg phosphorus, 0.5 mg iron, 2 mg vitamin C, 0.09 mg vitamin B1 (thiamin), 0.06 mg vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and 0.1 mg vitamin B5 (niacin). 

The secondary metabolites of the main bioactive compounds of mangosteen are xanthone derivatives. The main constituents of the xanthone fraction in mangosteen were found in α-mangostin and γ-mangostin. More than 60 other xanthones isolated from different parts of the plant including 3-isomangostin, β-mangostin, gartanin, mangostanin, 1-isomangostin, garcinone B, 9-hydroxycalabaxanthone, mangostanol, mangostinone demethylcalabaxanthone, 8-deoxygartanin, and garcinone D. The majority of investigations focused on the extraction and elucidation of the structure of xanthones from mangosteen rind or pericarp.Below is the detail of nutrition of the mangosteen according to USDA;

Nutritional and medicinal per 100 g:

Economic value

From the explanation above, it can be concluded that this nutritious and delicious fruit has high economic value and is still very potential to be cultivated in a modern way.

This fruit market is global, growing only well in the tropics. So further research needs to be done to create a fruit plantation that has the title of queen of tropical fruit that will increase production and provide optimal economic benefits.

Scientific classification:

Kingdom       : Plantae

Clade            : Tracheophytes

Clade            : Angiosperms

Clade            : Eudicots

Clade            : Rosids

Order            : Malpighiales

Family          : Clusiaceae

Genus           : Garcinia

Species         : Garcinia mangostana

Others :

• Major exporters               :  Thailand, FOB price between $4 - $6/kg
• Availability                      :  Sessional
• Enjoying the fruit        :  Mangosteen fruit can be eaten directly without processing. Simply open the skin, when freshly harvested then you can use your hands to open it because it is relatively gentle. But if it had been harvested a few days the skin will tend to harden and of course you need a knife to open it for easy. Color of Mangosteen flesh is creamy white, the flesh formations is like an orange. For large segment  of flesh  usually containing seeds, the taste of seeds just like it’s pericarp is bitter . So you only get to enjoy the flesh fruit that perfectly sweet.

Further fruit to reviev : Salak (Salacca zalacca)

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