JACK FRUIT HISTORY AND
BENEFITS
Jakfruitis
a species of tree in the Artocarpus genus of the mulberry family.It is native
to parts of South and Southeast Asia, and is believed to have originated in the
southwestern rain forests of India, in present-day Goa, Kerala, coastal
Karnataka, and Maharashtra.The jackfruit tree is well suited to tropical
lowlands, and its fruit is the largest tree-borne fruit,[8] reaching as much as
35 kg (80 lb) in weight, 90 cm (35 in) in length, and 50 cm (20 in) in diameter.The
jackfruit tree is a widely cultivated and popular food item in tropical regions
of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia,Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines. Jackfruit is also found across Africa
(e.g., in Cameroon, Uganda,Tanzania, Madagascar, São Tomé and Príncipe,
Ethiopia, Zambia and Mauritius), as well as throughout Brazil, west-central
America, and in Caribbean nations such as Jamaica. Jackfruit is the national
fruit of Bangladesh, by name Kanthal in
Bengali language
The
word "jackfruit" comes from Portuguese jaca, which in turn, is
derived from the Malayalamlanguage term, chakka (Malayalam chakka pazham : ചക്കപ്പഴം). When the
Portuguesearrived in India at Kozhikode (Calicut) on the Malabar Coast (Kerala)
in 1498, the Malayalam name chakka was recorded by Hendrik van Rheede
(1678–1703) in the Hortus Malabaricus, vol. iii in Latin. Henry Yule translated
the book in Jordanus Catalani's (f. 1321–1330)Mirabilia descripta: the wonders
of the East.The common English name "jackfruit" was used by the
physician and naturalist Garcia de Orta in his 1563 book Colóquios dos simples
e drogas da India.Centuries later, botanist Ralph Randles Stewart suggested it
was named after William Jack (1795–1822), a Scottish botanist who worked for
the East India Company in Bengal, Sumatra, and Malaysia
The
jackfruit has played a significant role in Indian agriculture for centuries.
Archeological findings in India have revealed that jackfruit was cultivated in
India 3000 to 6000 years ago. It is also widely cultivated in southeast Asia.
The Jackfruit tree can live upto a hundred years and produce about 100 to 200
fruits in a year. The Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world.
Its weight can range from from 10 lbs to over 100 lbs.Thailand and Vietnam are
major producers of jackfruit, which are often cut, prepared, and canned in a
sugary syrup (or frozen in bags/boxes without syrup), and exported overseas,
frequently to North America and Europe.In other areas, the jackfruit is
considered an invasive species as in Brazil's Tijuca Forest National Park in
Rio de Janeiro. The Tijuca is mostly an artificial secondary forest, whose
planting began during the mid-19th century, and jackfruit trees have been a
part of the park's flora since its founding. Recently, the species has expanded
excessively; its fruits, which naturally fall to the ground and open, are
eagerly eaten by small mammals such as the common marmoset and coati. The seeds
are dispersed by these animals, which allows the jackfruit to compete for space
with native tree species. Additionally, as the marmoset and coati also prey
opportunistically on bird's eggs and nestlings, the supply of jackfruit as a
ready source of food has allowed them to expand their populations, to the
detriment of the local bird populations. Between 2002 and 2007, 55,662
jackfruit saplings were destroyed in the Tijuca Forest area in a deliberate
culling effort by the park's management.
Jackfruit
are known for having a distinct aroma. In a study using five jackfruit
cultivars, the main jackfruit volatile compounds that were detected are: ethyl
isovalerate, 3-methylbutyl acetate, 1-butanol, propyl isovalerate, isobutyl
isovalerate, 2-methylbutanol, and butyl isovalerate. These compounds were
consistently present in all the five cultivars studied, suggesting these esters
and alcohols contributed to the sweet and fruity aroma of jackfruit.The flesh
of the jackfruit is starchy and fibrous and is a source of dietary fiber. The
flavor is comparable to a combination of apple, pineapple, mango, and banana.
Varieties are distinguished according to characteristics of the fruit's flesh.In
Bangladesh the fruit is consumed on its own. The unripe fruit is used in curry.
The seed is often dryed and preserved to be later used in curry.
• In West Bengal, India the two
varieties are called khaja kathal and moja kathal. The fruits are either eaten
alone or as a side to rice,roti, chira, or muri. Sometimes, the juice is
extracted and either drunk straight or as a side with muri. The extract is
sometimes condensed into rubbery delectables and eaten as candies. The seeds
are either boiled or roasted and eaten with salt and hot chillies. They are
also used to make spicy side-dishes with rice or roti.In Mangalore, Karnataka,
India the varieties are called bakke and imba. The pulp of the imba jackfruit
is ground and made into a paste, then spread over a mat and allowed to dry in
the sun to create a natural chewy candy.In Maharashtra, the hard variety is
called kaapa and the soft variety is called barka. The juice of the barka is
extracted and spread on greased metal dishes which are then kept for
sun-drying. Within 2–3 days, a tasty dried pancake-like dried jackfruit juice
called as phansacha saath or phanas poli results.In Sri Lanka the young fruit
is called polos, ripened fruit is called and wela • In Indochina, jackfruit is a frequent ingredient in sweets
and desserts.In Vietnam, jackfruit is used to make jackfruit chè (chè is a
sweet dessert soup, similar to the Chinese derivative, bubur chacha). The Vietnamese
also use jackfruit puree as part of pastry fillings, or as a topping on xôi ngọt
(sweet version of sticky rice portions).Jackfruit is known as Rukh-Katahar (=
tree katahar) in Nepal, while Bhui-Katahar (= Ground Katahar) denotes
pineapple. The ripe fruite is eaten itself (sometimes with a pinch of salt
sprinkled) as a delicacy while the unripe fruit is used to prepare savory
curry. The ripe fruit is also used to brew alchoholic beverage in some parts of
the country.
Jackfruit
is one of its own kind of tropical fruits, recognized for its unique shape,
size, and fruity flavor of its bulbs that can be appreciated from a distance.
The fruit is deliciously sweet in taste. In common with other tropical fruits
such asdurian, banana, etc., it is also rich in energy, dietary fiber,
minerals, and vitamins and free from saturated fats or cholesterol, making it
one of the healthy summer treats to relish!Botanically, this popular Asian
tropical fruit belongs to the family of moraceae, genus: Artocarpus and is
closely related to figs, mulberry, and breadfruit. Scientific name: Artocarpus
heterophyllus.Jackfruit is a huge tree that grows to as high as 30 meters,
larger than mango, breadfruit etc. It is believed to be indigenous to the Southwestern
rain forests of India. Today, it is widely cultivated in the tropical regions
of Indian subcontinent, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brazil for its fruit,
seeds, and wood. The tree grows best under tropical humid and rainy climates
but rarely survives cold and frosty conditions. In a season, each tree bears as
many as 250 large fruits, supposed to be the largest tree-borne fruits in the
world. The fruit varies widely in size, weigh from 3 to 30 kg, and has oblong
or round shape measuring 10 cm to 60 cm in length, 25 to 75 cm in diameter.
While unripe fruits are green, they turn light brown and spread a strong sweet,
fruity smell once ripe.
As
in durian fruit, jackfruit outer surface too is covered with blunt thorn-like
projections, which become soft as the fruit ripe.Its interior consists of
eye-catching orange-yellow color edible bulbs. Each bulb consists of sweet
flesh (sheath) that encloses a smooth, oval, light-brown seed. There may be as
many as 50 to 500 edible bulbs embedded in a single fruit interspersed in-between
thin bands of fibers.Jackfruit seed is encased inside a thin, transparent outer
cover. It largely compose of starch and protein. Each seed measures about 2 to
4 cm in length, and 1 to 3 cm in thickness.Almost all the parts of the tree
secrete white sticky latex like milk (juice) upon infliction of injury.
Health benefits of jackfruit
100 g of edible jackfruit bulbs provide 95 calories. The fruit is made
of soft, easily digestible flesh (bulbs) made up of simple sugars like fructose and sucrose that
when eaten replenishes energy and revitalizes the body instantly.Jackfruit is rich
in dietary fiber, which makes it a good bulk laxative. The fiber content helps
protect the colon mucous membrane by binding to and eliminating cancer-causing chemicals
from the colon.Fresh fruit has small but significant amounts of vitamin-A, and
flavonoid pigments such as carotene-ß, xanthin, lutein and cryptoxanthin-ß.
Together, these compounds play vital roles in antioxidant and vision functions. Vitamin A is also
required for maintaining integrity of mucusa and skin. Consumption of natural
fruits rich in vitamin-A, and carotenes has been found to protect from lung and
oral cavity cancers.Jackfruit is a good source of antioxidant vitamin-C, provides about 13.7 mg
or 23% of RDA. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop
resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful free radicals.It is one of the
rare fruits that is rich in B-complex group of vitamins. It contains very good amounts
of vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), niacin, riboflavin, and folic acid.Further, fresh
fruit is a good source of potassium, magnesium, manganese, and iron. Potassium
is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood
pressure.
Jackfruit
seeds are indeed very rich in digestible starch, protein and minerals. In
general, the seeds are gathered from the ripe fruit during summer, sun-dried
and stored for use in rainy season in many parts of South-Indian states. Again,
in these areas, jackfruit seeds can be employed in variety of recipes where
they generally are eaten either by roasting as a snack or added to stews
(curries) in place of lentils.
Jackfruit’s flesh is very high in fiber
content. The taste and texture makes it a great fruit for jams, chutneys,
candies, cakes and other sweet preparations.
Unripe raw jackfruit is used in savory dishes and is cooked in gravies
and spicy curries. The texture of unripe jackfruit is like mutton and so is its
taste when cooked in spices which makes it popular amongst vegetarians and
non-vegetarians alike. The seeds of Jackfruit are also eaten in boiled form as
a snack in some countries.It is a healthy fruit with almost no fats but high
energy. The taste and preparations make it a delectable fruit which is not too
hard to include in the diet. Unfortunately many countries get only canned
jackfruit stored in sugar syrup or brine which is not as healthy as out-of-tree
fruit. But this fact should not keep you from eating and enjoying this gorgeous
fruit even if it is out of the can.It contains high amount of nutrient like
vitamin, minerals, electrolytes,phytonutrients, carbohydrate, fiber, fat and
protein. Jackfruit is a good source of calorie but contains no cholesterol or
saturated fats. The nutrition chart below gives detailed picture of Jackfruit’s
nutrient count Jackfruit contains high amount of carbohydrate and calorie that
provides energy instantly. It is rich in antioxidants which protect from
cancer, ageing and degenerative disease. Due to rich antioxidants it is good
for eye sight and protect from conditions like cataract and macular
degeneration. It is a good source of potassium which maintains fluid and
electrolyte level in balance. Also it improves bone and skin health.
Anti-oxidants
are required by the body for scavenging free radicals. These are produced when
oxygen reacts with certain molecules and kick starts a chain reaction which
damages cell membranes and even DNA.These free radicals have been associated
with natural processes like ageing, skin wrinkling, increased vulnerability to infections and
diseases and more serious conditions like cancer and tumors. Vitamin C is a
natural anti-oxidant but since it is water soluble and is not found in our
bodies, you need to consume it through dietary sources.Jackfruit is an
excellent source of Vitamin C with a high content of 13.8 mg per 100 grams.
Studies have shown that Vitamin C is a better anti-oxidant than compounds like
Meth anol and Ethanol. This makes vitamin C very effective against the free
radicals in the body. The purification of our body by ridding it of free
radicals increases immune system
function. It increases immunity to protect against common diseases like cough,
cold and flu. It has also been found to form a strong resistance against
infections.Wrap up: Jackfruit is a high grade anti-oxidant owing to dense
concentration of vitamin C. It strengthens immune function and protects from
could, cold, flu, infections and critical conditions like Cancer and tumors.If
you are looking at quick energy boost than very few fruits come close to
Jackfruit. Jackfruit contains high amount of carbohydrate and calorie but
hardly any companion fat. It contains a healthy amount of simple sugar like
fructose and sucrose that are easily digested by our bodies. The sugar in
Jackfruit is not only easy to digest but
also comes from a category called “Slowly Available glucose” or SAG. This
releases the glucose in our body in a restrained manner and therefore reduces
the glycemic index of Jackfruit.
In
simple words, diabetic people suffering from high sugar levels and sugar spikes
can enjoy this deliciously sweet fruit without worrying about the glucose
levels. However, if Jackfruit is regular part of your diet than make sure you
add some physical activity to your routine to aid the digestion.
Wrap
Up: Jackfruit is a powerhouse of energy. It can lend a quick boost of energy
without disturbing the sugar levels in the body significantly. Maintains Blood
Pressure and Cardiovascular healthPotassium is one of the most important
components that regulate blood pressure. Our body needs about 4700 milligrams
of Potassium in a day. Optimum balance of potassium is key to controlling the
right amount of sodium in our body. Potassium deficiency can make your sodium
levels spiral out of control leading to substantial damage to heart and the
arteries. Apart from this functionality, potassium is responsible for
coordinating and maintaining muscle function which includes heart muscles as
well.
Jackfruit
contains good amount of potassium which is about 10% of our daily requirement.
The ideal levels of potassium is
required to maintain fluid level i.e. to balance electrolyte also. All these
different functions of potassium helps in maintaining ideal blood pressure and
reduces the risk of stroke andheart attack.Wrap Up: Potassium controls sodium,
maintains the electrolyte balance along
with regulating muscle function. All these roles make potassium a very healthy
food for arresting high blood pressure and maintaining health of your heart.When
you open up a Jackfruit and take a look at its flesh, it clearly shows a lot of
soft fiber. This fiber is not just for show but actually does convert itself
into important and significant amount of roughage. Jackfruit has 1.5 grams of
roughage per 100 grams of serving which is considered excellent. Dietary fiber makes for a laxative which adds bulk to your
stools and soften them up. Both of these factors make it easy for your body to
push them through the Anal passage. Thus it improves digestion and prevents
constipation.
Jackfruit
contains both Soluble and insoluble fiber with soluble content of 25% of the
total fiber. Soluble fiber is the one which is digested in our body and
provides energy whereas insoluble just passes through the Gastrointestinal
tract. The insoluble fiber actually adds bulk to stools and make for an
expeditious exit. It keeps the tracts clean and reduce a build up in the
intestines.Wrap Up: The high fiber content in Jackfruit aids healthy digestion
and an effective excretion which keeps the gastrointestinal tract clean and
healthy.Colon cancer is caused when there is damage to colon at cellular level
and these altered cells continue to divide rapidly even when there is no
requirement of new cells. Eventually they destroy the normal cells and also
tend to travel to other parts of the body through blood stream. Colon cancer
appears in its early stages as polyps in the colon lining and take a full blown
cancerous form as it progresses.Fruits like Jackfruit that are high on
anti-oxidants help to clean toxins from the colon, keeping it in a good and
healthy shape. Though it does not treat the cancer itself but can definitely help in reducing the risk
of developing this condition.It also helps in alleviating and preventing piles.
Piles are Hemorrhoids in the anal area and are basically made of swollen blood vessels. It is a very painful
condition and critical cases experience bleeding and excruciating pain while
passing stools. One of the main causes of Piles is Chronic Constipation.
Jackfruit prevents constipation due to its high fiber content and can help
alleviating the symptoms.
Wrap
Up: Jackfruit contains dietary fiber that reduces the effects of toxin in the
colon and protect from colon cancer. Additionally its constipation preventing
properties prevent piles.Jackfruit contains Vitamin A and its equivalent in
form of Beta Carotene and Lutein Zeaxanthin. Beta Carotene gets synthesized and
converts itself into Vitamin A. Vitamin A is an important nutrient for eye health. It is an anti-oxidant that
improves the vision and protects the eye from free radicals.It is also known to
protect eyes from bacterial and viral infections by strengthening the mucous
membranes that create a film on the cornea .
Lutein
Zeaxanthin in Jackfruit is also known
for its anti-oxidant properties that serve your eye sight effectively and
impressively. It protects the eyes from intense and harmful light waves like ultraviolet rays. This
component is also considered monumental in improving your eye sight in dim lit
and low light arenas. It is highly effective in preventing degeneration of the
retina and reduce the risk of cataract and macular degeneration.Wrap Up:
Jackfruit is a rich source Vitamin A and its equivalents that protect eyes from
infections, improve eye sight and prevent vision related medical problems .Ageing
is caused due to natural factors like increase in age. But due to pollution, UV
radiations and unhealthy lifestyle ageing is knocking at an early age and is progressing faster than natural. The main
causes of ageing are free radical produced in our body due to high oxidative
stress caused due to pollution.
Antioxidant rich diet including fruits like Jackfruit have proven to
destroy these free radicals to slow the ageing process.
Eating
Jackfruit also keeps skin moisturized and well hydrated due to high level of
water content in it. Water reduces dryness and lend a supple appearance to your
facial skin. This further reduces the light wrinkles and fine lines on skin
making it look younger and glowing.Wrap Up: The anti-oxidant properties and
high water content of Jackfruit keeps skin healthy, moisturized and reduces the
wrinkles and dryness retaining the youthful texture of the skin.
With
an increase in pollution and weakened immunity, number of asthma cases being
reported are increasing every year. Jackfruit has been proved beneficial to
asthma patients. Asthma shows symptoms like extreme difficulty in breathing,
wheezing and accompanying panic attacks. It is a chronic condition and does not
really have a cure but needs to be managed with medicines and hypoallergenic
diet.Jackfruit and its extracts are now being explored to treat asthma and
controlling its symptoms. Boiling the root of Jackfruit and consuming it is
known to alleviate the symptoms of asthma.Wrap Up: The Jackfruit root has been
found to be an effective remedy for asthma symptoms.Jackfruit contains high
amount of calcium which strengthens and promotes healthy bone health. Other
bone related illnesses like Arthritis, Osteoporosis can also be managed and
prevented with regular seasonal consumption of Jackfruit. High potassium in
Jackfruit further decreases the loss of calcium through kidney thereby
increasing calcium density in bone and strengthening it.Wrap Up: Jackfruit
maintains good bone health with high calcium content and increases its density
by reducing the calcium loss owing to healthy potassium content.
Anemia
is a condition which is defined by reduction of red blood cells (RBC) or
Hemoglobin in blood below the acceptable
minimum levels. This leads slow transportation of oxygen in the body
leading to bouts of lethargy, constant tiredness, pale complexion and in some
cases blacking out.Jackfruit contains iron which can combat the deficiency of
RBCs in the blood. The vitamin C content further enables an effective
absorption of iron in the body. It is said that all iron that you get from
dietary sources can pass right through your body without being absorbed if
there is no Vitamin C in the body. Other minerals like copper and magnesium in
Jackfruit improve the quality of blood.
Wrap
Up: Jackfruit alleviates anemia by adding iron and increasing the iron
absorption with Vitamin C in the body.
Other minerals in it improve the quality of blood.
Jackfruit
is the largest tree borne fruit in the world which can weight from a mere 3
kilograms to 36 Kilograms! A full mature jackfruit can have a length of 36
inches and width that extends to 20 inches.The wood of Jackfruit is used in
making musical instruments, furniture and even in house construction. the
distinct color of Monks’ robes in South East Asia comes from the dye of this
wood.Jackfruit is also known to grow from the underground roots in some rare
cases! In such situations the fruit actually cracks the ground over it and
emerges outside.Jackfruit is a wonderful fruit with wonderful health benefits.
Its juicy sweet taste becomes even better when you know about the health
benefits that you are going to derive from it.
It's
big and bumpy with a gooey interior and a powerful smell of decay – but it
could help keep millions of people from hunger.Researchers say jackfruit – a
large ungainly fruit grown across south and south-east Asia – could be a
replacement for wheat, corn and other staple crops under threat from climate
change.The World Bank and United Nations warned recently that rising temperatures
and unpredictable rainfall had already reduced yields of wheat and corn, and
could lead to food wars within the decade.Now researchers say jackfruit could
help provide the solution.Jackfruit is the largest known treeborne fruit. Even
a small jackfruit weighs in at 10-15lbs (5-7kg), and farmers have recorded
specimens of more than 100lbs (45kg)."It's a miracle. It can provide so
many nutrients and calories – everything," said Shyamala Reddy, a
biotechnology researcher at the University of AgricultureSciences in Bangalore,
India. "If you just eat 10 or 12 bulbs of this fruit, you don't need food
for another half a day." Jackfruit is sold on a Bangkok street, Thailand.
Photograph: Bertrand Gardel/AlamyBut jackfruit, despite its huge potential,
remains underexploited as a food crop in India, where it originated.That is
beginning to change, however, with a growing number of researchers looking for
alternatives.
Reddy's
university will host an international conference on jackfruit in May. She said
the Indian government had launched a number of new initiatives to promote the
crop by expanding its use as a canned vegetable and as a processed food.The
effort coincides with a global push to expand food production, especially in
developing countries which are expected to face growing challenges to feed their
people in the coming decades. Jackfruit is the largest known treeborne fruit.
Photograph: Stefano Paterna/AlamyJackfruit can fill the gap on a number of
counts, said Danielle Nierenberg, president of Food Tank, which works on
sustainable agriculture.
"It
is easy to grow. It survives pests and diseases and high temperatures. It is
drought-resistant," she said. "It achieves what farmers need in food
production when facing a lot of challenges under climate change."The fruit
is rich in potassium, calcium, and iron, said Reddy, making it more nutritious
than current starchy staples.Sri Lanka and Vietnam have established jackfruit
industries, where the fruit is processed into products as diverse as flour,
noodles, papad and ice cream. Jackfruit is also canned and sold as a vegetable
for export.
But
jackfruit remains a hard sell in much of India. Although the fruit was seen as
an important staple 40 or 50 years ago, it is now derided as a poor man's
fruit, said Shree Padre, a jackfruit farmer from Karnataka.Only one or two
commercial-scale jackfruit plantations are in current operation."In the
country of origin, it is just not understood," he said. "There is an
inferiority attached to jackfruit. Any farmer would happily carry an imported
apple in his hand rather than jackfruit."The down-market reputation is
unwarranted, said Nyree Zerega, a researcher on plant biology at the Chicago
Botanic Garden, who has studied jackfruit in Bangladesh.In addition to its high
nutritional value, the fruit is very versatile, she said. The seeds, young
fruit, and mature varieties are all edible. The timber from jackfruit trees is
also valuable. "It is just not being utilised," she said."I
think it could play a much more important role in diets than it currently does
and be a staple," she continued. "In addition to consuming cooked
young jackfruit, ripe jackfruit, and jackfruit seeds, there are also many food
products with longer shelf life that can be made from jackfruit."
Prof.
John Kurakar
No comments:
Post a Comment