Jackfruit

Jackfruit
Jackfruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Tribe: Artocarpeae
Genus: Artocarpus
Species: A. heterophyllus
Binomial name
Artocarpus heterophyllus
Lam.[1][2]
Synonyms[3][4][5][6]
  • Artocarpus brasiliensis Ortega
  • A. maximus Blanco
  • A. nanca Noronha (nom inval.)
  • A. philippensis Lam.

The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), also known as jack tree, jakfruit, or sometimes simply jack or jak[7] is a species of tree in the mulberry and fig family (Moraceae).

It is native to parts of South and Southeast Asia, and is believed to have originated in the southwestern rain forests of Indian Subcontinent, in present-day Goa, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka[8] coastal Karnataka, and Maharashtra.[9] The jackfruit tree is well suited to tropical lowlands, and its fruit is the largest tree-borne fruit,[10] reaching as much as 35 kg (80 lb) in weight, 90 cm (35 in) in length, and 50 cm (20 in) in diameter.[11] The Jackfruit tree can produce about 100 to 200 fruits in a year. The jackfruit is composed of hundreds to thousands of individual flowers, and it is the fleshy petals that are eaten.[12]

The jackfruit tree is a widely cultivated and popular food item throughout the tropical regions of the world. Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh, by name Kathal (কাঁঠাল) in Bengali language.[13]

Etymology

Jackfruit hanging from the trunk
From the campus of Regional Agricultural Research Center, Ambalavayal, India
The jackfruit illustrated by Michael Boym in the 1656 book Flora Sinensis.

The word "jackfruit" comes from Portuguese jaca, which in turn, is derived from the Malayalam language term, chakka (Malayalam chakka pazham : ചക്കപ്പഴം).[14] When the Portuguese arrived 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.[15]

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.[16][17] 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.[18]

Cultivation

Developing jackfruit in Bangladesh

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.[19] It has also been widely cultivated in southeast Asia. Stingless bees such as Tetragonula iridipennis are jackfruit pollinators and as such play an important role in jackfruit cultivation.[20]

The jackfruit also provides a potential solution to countries facing problems with food security. The perennial fruit does not require replanting, nor does it require much care unlike other crops such as wheat or corn.[21] In terms of taking care of the plant, minimal pruning is required; cutting off dead branches from the interior of the tree is only needed sometimes.[22] In addition, twigs bearing fruit must be twisted or cut down to the trunk to induce growth for the next season.[23]

Aroma

Jackfruit have a distinctive, sweet and fruity aroma. In a study of flavour volatiles in five jackfruit cultivars, the main volatile compounds that were detected were: ethyl isovalerate, propyl isovalerate, butyl isovalerate, isobutyl isovalerate, 3-methylbutyl acetate, 1-butanol and 2-methylbutanol.[24] Branches may also be cut off every three to four years to maintain its productivity.[25]

The smell of a fully ripe and unopened jackfruit is known to "emit a strong aroma," with the inside of the fruit described as smelling of pineapple and banana.[26]

Culinary uses

Jackfruit flesh
Opened 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.[27] Varieties are distinguished according to characteristics of the fruit's flesh.

Jackfruit is commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisines.[27][30]

152 - CIMG0806

Culinary uses for ripe jackfruit

Ripe jackfruit is naturally sweet with subtle flavoring. It can be used to make a variety of dishes, including custards, cakes, or mixed with shaved ice as es teler in Indonesia or halo-halo in the Philippines. In India, when the jackfruit is in season, an ice cream chain store called "Naturals" carries jackfruit flavored ice cream.

Ripe jackfruit arils are sometimes seeded, fried, or freeze-dried and sold as jackfruit chips.

The seeds from ripe fruits are edible, are said to have a milky, sweet taste, and may be boiled, baked, or roasted. When roasted, the flavor of the seeds is comparable to chestnuts. Seeds are used as snacks either by boiling or fire roasting, or to make desserts. For making the traditional breakfast dish in southern India: idlis, the fruit is used with rice as an ingredient and jackfruit leaves are used as a wrapping for steaming. Jackfruit dosas can be prepared by grinding jackfruit flesh along with the batter.

Culinary uses for unripe jackfruit

Developing jackfruit

The cuisines of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam use cooked young jackfruit.[27] In Indonesia, young jackfruit is cooked with coconut milk as gudeg. In many cultures, jackfruit is boiled and used in curries as a staple food. In northern Thailand, the boiled young jackfruit is used in the Thai salad called tam kanun. In West Bengal, the unripe green jackfruit called aechor or ichor is used as a vegetable to make various spicy curries and side dishes, and as fillings for cutlets and chops. It is especially sought after by vegetarians who substitute this for meat, hence is nicknamed as gacch-patha (tree-mutton). In Odisha jackfruit is called Panasa Katha and used to make Panasa Tarkari (Raw Jackfruit curry), it is also used to make achar (Pickel).In the Philippines, it is cooked with coconut milk (ginataang langka). In Réunion Island, it is cooked either alone or with meat, such as shrimp or smoked pork. In southern India, unripe jackfruit slices are deep fried to make chips. In Udipi cuisine, jackfruit is used make appa and addae.

Because unripe jackfruit has a meat-like taste, it is used in curry dishes with spices, in Bihar, Jharkhand, Sri Lankan, Andhran, eastern Indian (Bengali) and (Odisha) and Keralan cuisines. The skin of unripe jackfruit must be peeled first, then the remaining whole jackfruit can be chopped into edible portions and cooked before serving. Young jackfruit has a mild flavor and distinctive meat-like texture and is compared to poultry. Meatless sandwiches have been suggested and are popular with both vegetarian and nonvegetarian populations.

Nutrition

Jackfruit, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 397 kJ (95 kcal)
Sugars 19.08 g
Dietary fibre 1.5 g
0.64 g
1.72 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv.
(1%)

5 μg

(1%)
61 μg
157 μg
Thiamine (B1)
(9%)

0.105 mg

Riboflavin (B2)
(5%)

0.055 mg

Niacin (B3)
(6%)

0.92 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5)
(5%)

0.235 mg

Vitamin B6
(25%)

0.329 mg

Folate (B9)
(6%)

24 μg

Vitamin C
(17%)

13.8 mg

Vitamin E
(2%)

0.34 mg

Minerals
Calcium
(2%)

24 mg

Iron
(2%)

0.23 mg

Magnesium
(8%)

29 mg

Manganese
(2%)

0.043 mg

Phosphorus
(3%)

21 mg

Potassium
(10%)

448 mg

Sodium
(0%)

2 mg

Zinc
(1%)

0.13 mg


Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

The edible jackfruit is made of easily digestible flesh (bulbs); a 100-g portion of edible raw jackfruit provides about 95 calories and is a good source of the antioxidant vitamin C, providing about 13.7 mg.[31] Jackfruit seeds are rich in protein. The fruit is also rich in vitamin B6, vitamin B1, potassium and magnesium.[32]

Seeds

In general, the seeds are gathered from the ripe fruit, sun-dried, then stored for use in rainy season in many parts of South Indian states. They are extracted from fully matured fruits and washed in water to remove the slimy part. Seeds should be stored immediately in closed polythene bags for one or two days to prevent them from drying out. Germination is improved by soaking seeds in clean water for 24 hours. During transplanting, sow seeds in line, 30 cm apart, in a nursery bed filled with 70% soil mixed with 30% organic matter.[33] The seedbed should be shaded partially from direct sunlight to protect emerging seedlings.

Boiled jackfruit seeds are also edible. Often compared to Brazil nuts, they are quite commonly used in curry in the Indian state of Kerala and used in Dalema (traditional Odiya lentil and vegetable mix curry) in Odisha. In Java, the seeds are commonly cooked and seasoned with salt as a snack.

Wood

Jackfruit tree

The wood of the tree is used for the production of musical instruments. In Indonesia, hardwood from the trunk is carved out to form the barrels of drums used in the gamelan, and in the Philippines, its soft wood is made into the body of the kutiyapi, a type of boat lute. It is also used to make the body of the Indian string instrument veena and the drums mridangam, thimila, and kanjira; the golden, yellow timber with good grain is used for building furniture and house construction in India. The ornate wooden plank called avani palaka made of the wood of jackfruit tree is used as the priest's seat during Hindu ceremonies in Kerala. In Vietnam, jackfruit wood is prized for the making of Buddhist statuaries in temples,[34] and fish sauce barrels.[35]

Jackfruit wood is widely used in the manufacture of furniture, doors and windows, and in roof construction. The heartwood is used by Buddhist forest monastics in Southeast Asia as a dye, giving the robes of the monks in those traditions their distinctive light-brown color.[36]

Commercial availability

Outside of its countries of origin, fresh jackfruit can be found at Asian food markets, especially in the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Bangladesh. It is also extensively cultivated in the Brazilian coastal region, where it is sold in local markets. It is available canned in sugary syrup, or frozen, already prepared and cut. Dried jackfruit chips are produced by various manufacturers. In northern Australia, particularly in Darwin, jackfruit can be found on the outdoor produce markets during the dry season. Outside of countries where it is grown, jackfruit can be obtained year-round both canned or dried. It has a ripening season in Asia of late spring to late summer.[37]

Jackfruit industries are established in Sri Lanka and Vietnam, where the fruit is processed into products such as flour, noodles, papad, and ice cream. It is also canned and sold as a vegetable for export.[32] The wood of the jackfruit tree is important in Ceylon and is imported to Europe; it is termite-proof and is superior to teak for building furniture.[38]

Production and marketing

The marketing of jackfruit involves three groups: producers, traders (middlemen) including wholesalers, and retailers.[39] The marketing channels are rather complex. Large farms sell immature fruits to wholesalers which help cash flow and reduce risk, whereas medium-sized farms sell fruits directly to local markets or retailers.

In Kerala, a large amount of jackfruit production occurs naturally, but around 97% of its production is wasted because of lack of processing units and marketing.

Cultural significance

The national fruit of Bangladesh is the jackfruit.[13] It is the state fruit of the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, one of the three auspicious fruits of Tamil Nadu, along with the mango and banana.[40]

Invasive species

In Brazil the jackfruit can become 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.[41]

Production trends

the top 5 producers of Jackfruits (in 1000 tonnes) were as follows:[42]

Rank Country Production
(1000 tonnes)
1  India 1436
2  Bangladesh 926
3  Thailand 392
4  Indonesia 340
5    Nepal 18.97

References

  1. Under its accepted name Artocarpus heterophyllus (then as heterophylla) this species was described in Encyclopédie Méthodique, Botanique 3: 209. (1789) by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, from a specimen collected by botanist Philibert Commerson. Lamarck said of the fruit that it was coarse and difficult to digest. "Larmarck's original description of tejas". Retrieved 2012-11-23. On mange la chair de son fruit, ainsi que les noyaux qu'il contient; mais c'est un aliment grossier et difficile à digérer.
  2. "Name - !Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.". Tropicos. Saint Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  3. "TPL, treatment of Artocarpus heterophyllus". The Plant List; Version 1. (published on the internet). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden. 2010. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  4. "Name – Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. synonyms". Tropicos. Saint Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  5. GRIN (2006-11-02). "Artocarpus heterophyllus information from NPGS/GRIN". Taxonomy for Plants. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  6. "Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. — The Plant List". Theplantlist.org. 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  7. "Artocarpus heterophyllus". Tropical Biology Association. October 2006. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  8. "Jackfruit Paradise". Civil Society.
  9. Boning, Charles R. (2006). Florida's Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines. Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, Inc. p. 107.
  10. "Jackfruit, Breadfruit & Relatives". Know & Enjoy Tropical Fruit. 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  11. "Jackfruit Fruit Facts". California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. 1996. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  12. Silver, Mark. "Here's The Scoop On Jackfruit, A Ginormous Fruit To Feed The World". NPR. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 Matin, Abdul. "A poor man's fruit: Now a miracle food!". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
  14. Pradeepkumar, T.; Jyothibhaskar, B. Suma; Satheesan, K. N. (2008). Prof. K. V. Peter, ed. Management of Horticultural Crops. Horticulteral Science Series 11. New Delhi, India: New India Publishing. p. 81. ISBN 978-81-89422-49-3. The English name jackfruit is derived from Portuguese jaca, which is derived from Malayalam chakka.
  15. Friar Jordanus, 14th century, as translated from the Latin by Henry Yule (1863). Mirabilia descripta: the wonders of the East. Hakluyt Society. p. 13. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  16. Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, 1989, online edition
  17. Anon. (2000) The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.
  18. Stewart, Ralph R. (1984). "How Did They Die?". Taxon 33 (1): 48–52. doi:10.2307/1222028.
  19. Preedy, Victor R.; Watson, Ronald Ross; Patel, Vinood B., eds. (2011). Nuts and Seeds in Health and Disease Prevention (1st ed.). Burlington, MA: Academic Press. p. 678. ISBN 978-0-12-375689-3.
  20. Kothai, S. (2015). "Environmental Impact on Stingless Bee Propolis (Tetragonula iridipennis) Reared from Two Different Regions of Tamilnadu - A Comparative Study". International Journal of ChemTech Research.
  21. Silver, Marc. "Here's The Scoop On Jackfruit, A Ginormous Fruit To Feed The World". NPR. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  22. "Jackfruit". California Rare Fruit Growers. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  23. Morton, Julia. "Jackfruit". Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  24. Ong, B.T.; Nazimah, S.A.H.; Tan, C.P.; Mirhosseini, H.; Osman, A.; Hashim, D. Mat; Rusul, G. (August 2008). "Analysis of volatile compounds in five jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) cultivars using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS)". Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 21 (5): 416–422. doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2008.03.002. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  25. Morton, Julia. "Jackfruit". Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  26. Morton, Julia. "Jackfruit". Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  27. 1 2 3 The encyclopedia of fruit & nuts, By Jules Janick, Robert E. Paull, p. 155
  28. General information, Department of Agriculture, State of Bahia. seagri.ba.gov.br (in Portuguese)
  29. Morton, J. "Jackfruit – Artocarpus heterophyllus".
  30. The encyclopedia of fruit & nuts, By Jules Janick, Robert E. Paull, pp.481–485
  31. "Show Foods". Ndb.nal.usda.gov. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  32. 1 2 Goldenberg, Suzanne (2014-04-23). "Jackfruit heralded as 'miracle' food crop". The Guardian.
  33. Jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus. Field Manual for Extension Workers and Farmers (PDF). Southampton, UK: Southampton Centre for Underutilised Crops. 2006. ISBN 0-85432-834-3.
  34. "Gỗ mít nài". Nhagoviethung.com. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  35. "Nam O fish sauce village". Danang Today. 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
  36. Forest Monks and the Nation-state: An Anthropological and Historical Study in Northeast Thailand J.L. Taylor 1993 p. 218
  37. Jackfruit. Hort.purdue.edu. Retrieved on 2011-10-17.
  38. Morton, Julia. "Jackfruit". Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  39. Haq, Nazmul (2006). Jackfruit: Artocarpus heterophyllus (PDF). Southampton, UK: Southampton Centre for Underutilised Crops. p. 129. ISBN 0-85432-785-1.
  40. Subrahmanian, N.; Hikosaka, Shu; Samuel, G. John; Thiagarajan, P. (1997). Tamil social history. Institute of Asian Studies. p. 88. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
  41. Livia de Almeida, "Guerra contra as jaqueiras" ("War on Jackfruit"), Revista Veja Rio, 2007-05-05; see also [http:/,/www.jbrj.gov.br/enbt/posgraduacao/resumos/2008/rodolfo_de_abreu.htm]
  42. "Jackfruit: Improvement in the Asia-Pacific Region" (PDF). Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions.

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