Baobab fruit

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Fruits of the African baobab tree ( Adansonia digitata )

The baobab fruit (also baobab fruit ) is the fruit of trees of the genus Adansonia ( baobabs ). The best known species is Adansonia digitata , the African baobab tree , the fruits of which have long been processed in various forms and used as food in Africa . For large parts of the local population, the fruits cover a large part of their daily food needs. In Europe, the dried pulp has been available as a food for several years, but is still unknown to most consumers. Since Adansonia digitata is the most widespread and therefore most relevant species of baobab trees, this article mainly discusses their fruit.

description

Open baobab fruit from Adansonia digitata
Seeds of Adansonia digitata
The pulp of the baobab fruit in a market in The Gambia

The name baobab comes from Arabic and is derived from the expression "bu hibab". Translated it means something like "fruit with many seeds". A single fruit can contain between 120 and 200 seeds that are embedded in the pulp and are very high in fat. The shape of the baobab fruit can be roughly described as egg-shaped. It has a felty surface and, depending on the species, a length of 10 to 40 cm. The pericarp is relatively hard, similar to that of coconuts, and has a brownish color. Due to the nature of the skin, the fruit is naturally well preserved. The flesh is light beige, quite firm and falls apart when it dries and hardens. It is visually reminiscent of dry bread. Due to the high vitamin C content, the taste is sour, similar to citrus fruits. It lies between grapefruit , pear and vanilla .

The seeds show an extremely pronounced dormancy , to which, among other things, the hard germination shell makes a contribution. As a result, they can often linger in the soil for years without germination or killing the seed. To make them germinable, they can be poured with boiling water and then left in the water for about a day.

use

Both the pulp and seeds of the baobab fruit are consumed as food in Africa. The pulp is often used to make fruit juices or sweets. Sauces or porridge can also be made from the pulp. Another possibility is the extraction of oil ( baobab oil ), which is used as food in Africa and sold in Europe in the form of cosmetic products. Baobab pulp is also often used in baking and often serves as a substitute for cream.

Since both the fruits and the other components of the baobab tree are used in many medical fields in Africa, it is also called the apothecary tree. The pulp has various uses. It is used as an antipyretic, as a remedy for dysentery , against smallpox and against measles. Both the fruit and the seeds contain an antidote to strophanthus , a poisonous plant widespread in Africa.

Other uses are documented for the seeds. In addition to being consumed as food, these can be used as a basis for shampoo, for example.

ingredients

The pulp composition has a high vitamin C content, which at approx. 250-300 mg per 100 g is significantly higher than that of apples, oranges or cranberries, for example. The pulp is rich in antioxidants . A high calcium, iron and fiber content was also detected. This consists mainly of soluble pectin .

Physiological effect

The consumption of baobab pulp has been shown to have a positive effect on the body. According to a study, the increase in blood sugar after a meal is reduced. For this study, 18.5 g of fruit pulp extract was consumed in the form of a 250 ml drink. A regularly high blood sugar level promotes insulin resistance , which is the precursor to type 2 diabetes . The antioxidant effect of the ingredients can also have positive effects on health if the fruit is consumed regularly. The antioxidants protect the cells from accelerated aging and prevent various diseases.

species

Adansonia digitata is the only baobab species that is found in large parts of Africa. Due to its high occurrence, it is also the best-documented species and is of the highest importance as a food and other consumer good. So far, a total of seven other species have been documented. Six of them grow exclusively in Madagascar , the seventh, namely Adansonia gregorii (also Adansonia gibbosa ), is native to Australia . The fruits of each species vary in size, shape and color, as detailed in the table below.

Adansonia Art fruit
digitata yellowish-brown, oblong oval, 25–40 cm long, hard, stable shell 5–15 mm
gibbosa / gregorii black-brown, spherical to ovate, fragile shell 3–4 mm
grandidieri red-brown, almost round to slightly oval, thin skin
madagascariensis brown, round to ovate, only approx. 10 cm in size, shell 7–9 mm
perrieri covered with short brown hairs, oblong oval, up to 25 cm long, shell 8–9 mm thick
rubrostipa red-brown, round, 4–5 mm thick shell
suarezensis brown, elongated cylindrical to oval, largest baobab fruit 20 to 40 cm long, weight up to 450 g, fragile, 3–4 mm thick shell
za black, oval, size between 10 and 30 cm, thick shell

Legal

Like all exotic fruits, the baobab fruit in Europe first had to go through the approval process as a novel food . This process is mandatory for all foodstuffs that “were not brought onto the market to a significant extent for consumption within the EU before May 15, 1997”. Officially approved as food in Europe by the EFSA ( European Food Safety Authority ) is only the dried fruit pulp. Whole baobab fruits are also available from some suppliers in Europe, but due to a lack of approval, they are not declared as food, but as an object of decoration. At the moment the dried pulp and the first drinks are almost exclusively available in internet shops. In the United States, the dried pulp of the baobab fruit has been classified as a safe food by the United States Food and Drug Administration since 2009.

literature

  • FJ Chadare, AR Linnemann, JD Hounhouigan, MJR Nout, MAJS Van Boekel: Baobab Food Products: A Review on their Composition and Nutritional Value. In: Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. Volume 49, No. 3, 2008, doi: 10.1080 / 10408390701856330 .
  • Roger Blench: The intertwined history of the silk cotton and baobab. (PDF; 2.8 MB), In: René Cappers (Ed.): Fields of change. Progress in African archaeobotany. Barkhuis & Groningen University Library, Groningen 2007, ISBN 978-90-77922-30-9 , pp. 1-19.
  • David A. Baum: A Systematic Revision of Adansonia (Bombacaceae) . In: Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Volume 82, No. 3, 1995, pp. 440-471, doi: 10.2307 / 2399893 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b A. A. Nour, BI Magboul, NH Kheiri: Chemical composition of baobab fruit (Adansonia digitata). In: Trop. Sci. 22 (4), 1980, pp. 383-388, mightybaobab.com (PDF; 305 kB).
  2. ^ Karen E. Lange: Vitamin Tree. In: National Geographic. Volume 218, No. 3, 2010, p. 28.
  3. ↑ a b Chapter 2: Baobab. on .nap.edu, accessed March 15, 2017, In: Lost Crops of Africa. Volume III: Fruits. National Academies Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-309-10596-5 , pp. 41-60.
  4. ↑ Herbal Sciences International Ltd (2006): Baobab dried fruit pulp - An application for novel foods approval in the EU as a food ingredient. acnfp.food.gov.uk (PDF; 271 kB).
  5. ↑ GJ Esenowo: Studies on germination of Adansonia digitata seeds. In: Journal of Agricultural Science. 117, 1991, pp. 81-84, doi: 10.1017 / S0021859600078990 .
  6. ↑ Gerald E. Wickens, Pat Lowe: The Baobabs: Pachycauls of Africa, Madagascar and Australia. Springer, 2007, ISBN 978-1-4020-6431-9 , p. 370.
  7. ↑ S. Krist: Lexicon of vegetable fats and oils. 2nd edition, Springer Verlag, Vienna 2013, ISBN 978-3-7091-1004-1 , pp. 41–46.
  8. ^ ADD Mogg: The Baobab Trees. In: S. Aft. 1 (4): 1950, pp. 12-14.
  9. ^ HM Burkill: The useful plants of West Tropical Africa. Ed. 2, 2000, ISBN 0-947643-56-7 .
  10. ^ GE Wickens: The uses of the baobab (adansonia digitata l.) In Africa. In: G. Kunkel: Taxonomic aspects of African economic botany. AETFAT, Kew Publishing, 1979, ISBN 978-84-500-3340-3 .
  11. ↑ CW Hobley: On baobabs and ruins. In: Journal of the East African and Uganda Natural history society. 17: pp. 75-77, 1922.
  12. ↑ L. Ryan et al. a .: The polyphenol-rich baobab fruit (Adansonia digitata L.) reduces starch digestion and glycemic response in humans. In: Nutrition Research. Volume 33, Issue 11, 2013, pp. 888-896, doi: 10.1016 / j.nutres.2013.08.002 .
  13. ^ "Insulin resistance". Medicine net.
  14. ↑ German Cancer Society: Eat healthy, stay healthy: Antioxidants - how they work. ( Memento from September 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  15. ↑ David A. Baum: A Systematic Revision of Adansonia (Bombacaceae). In: Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Volume 82, No. 3, 1995, pp. 440-471, doi: 10.2307 / 2399893 .
  16. ↑ Regulation (EC) No. 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council of January 27, 1997 on novel foods and novel food ingredients (PDF) .
  17. ↑ Official Journal of the European Union; 2008; authorizing the placing on the market of Baobab dried fruit pulp as a novel food ingredient under Regulation (EC) No 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council (notified under document number C (2008) 3046), online (PDF; 34 kB) .
  18. ↑ US Food and Drug Administration: Agency Response Letter GRAS Notice No. GRN 000273. CFSAN / Office of Food Additive Safety, online .