Brazil nut tree
| Brazil nut tree | ||||||||||||
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Brazil nut tree ( Bertholletia excelsa ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Bertholletia | ||||||||||||
| Bonpl. | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Bertholletia excelsa | ||||||||||||
| Bonpl. |
The Brazil nut tree ( Bertholletia excelsa ) belongs to the potted fruit tree family (Lecythidaceae). The tree was given the generic botanical name Bertholletia in honor of the French chemist Claude Louis Berthollet (1748–1822). The seeds are as Brazil nut , even Amazon almond , Brazilian Chestnut , Marahonkastanie , Brazil nut , Juvia- or Yuvianuss , Rahmnuss , ivory nut or Tucanuss known. In Brazil the Brazil nut is called castanha-do-pará , after the northern state of Pará ; the German name is derived from it.
description
Vegetative characteristics
Brazil nut trees are semi- evergreen , fast-growing and very large trees up to 55 meters high . The trunk is cylindrical with a cracked bark , it reaches chest height diameters of up to 3, in exceptional cases up to 5 meters. The heartwood is brownish pink and turns light chestnut colored when exposed to light. The color of the sapwood is lighter and yellowish, it is 4–6 cm wide. The wood has a density of about 737 kg / m 3 . The trachea are evenly distributed over the cross-section, only individual growth periods can be read through a zone with a smaller number of pores. The pores are quite large and not very numerous, they are usually arranged individually, rarely in twos or threes. The length of the trachea is about 0.5 mm, the fibers are about 1.7 mm long. The rays are relatively small and not very numerous. In the parenchyma occurs crystal sand on the crystals containing cells occur not present singly but arranged to several fibrous on. In contrast to related species, there are no quartz crystals.
The branches are not very branched, the leaves are alternate , crowded at the branch ends. The leathery, bare leaves are elongated, the length is about 20–40 cm and the width of the leaves is 7–15 cm. The runny petiole is 2–5.5 cm long. The leaves are pointed or pointy to pointed. The leaf margin is completely or slightly notched and partly wavy. The underside of the leaves appears whitish because it is densely covered with papillae . The stipules are missing.
Generative characteristics
The inflorescence is usually terminal on the branch or appears from a leaf axil. It is densely panicley or somewhat branched, a flower stalk can hardly be made out. The zygomorphic flowers are light yellow to white, about 3 cm in diameter. The calyx encloses the entire flower bud and opens along a slit into two non-overlapping halves, lobes. The six petals form a bowl-shaped flower with their lower halves, the upper halves are spread out or rolled up. The fertile stamens stand together in a large number of rings. Starting from this ring, a hood arches hemispherically over the fertile stamens. Inside this hood is smooth at first, at the end it has sterile, nectar-producing, stamen-like appendages. Nectar is produced at the point of attachment of these appendages . The under constant ovary is multilocular with many ovules.
The woody fruit is round and about 10–12, occasionally up to 16 cm in diameter. Each fruit weighing between 500 and 1500 grams contains 10-25 seeds in a hard, thick shell. The multi-seeded nut fruit or a functionally non-opening capsule (pyxidium), in terms of size and hardness of the shell, is somewhat similar to a coconut that has been freed from its outer layer . When ripe, the fruit opens on the side facing away from the stem. However, the opening (operculum) is significantly smaller than the seeds, so that the fruit and seeds fall to the ground. The triangular seeds are about 2 × 5 cm in size, they have a lignified seed coat , and there are no cotyledons . The reserve substances of the semen are stored here in the large hypocotyl . Unlike most related species, it lacks a seed coat .
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 34.
distribution
The distribution area is in the tropical rainforests of South America . It extends in the west to the foot of the Andes ( Bolivia , Colombia and Peru ), including the Brazilian Amazon lowlands. In the north there are deposits in Venezuela , Guyana , Suriname and French Guiana . Some occurrences may be caused by human use and distribution.
The locations are on non-flooded areas ( terra firme ). The dry season lasts about three to five months in the distribution area.
Life cycle
The fallen fruit of Para Nussbaum be of agoutis been gnawed and eaten the seeds. As the agoutis distribute and bury the leftovers that have not been eaten, these rodents make a decisive contribution to the spread and maintenance of the Brazil nut stocks. The seeds only germinate after 12-18 months, some even after years. Germination is easier when the hard skin has been removed, but seeds that have not been removed from the fruit can also germinate. Seeds and seedlings are sensitive to drying out; they often grow in shady locations.
The young trees need light to grow and rely on a gap in the canopy to open. Then they grow up relatively quickly and reach a growth rate of 50 cm per year. Planted specimens with enough light reached a height of 28 meters and a diameter of 45 cm after 18 years. The trees can be over 300 years old.
At the end of the rainy season, the trees lose some or all of their leaves. The flowers appear in the dry season. When the rain starts again, the trees below the old inflorescences sprout new branches and leaves. The flowering time of a single tree lasts three to eight weeks, but the single blossom only lasts one day. It opens in the early hours of the morning and in the afternoon the flower falls to the ground. Pollination is accomplished by large insects that are strong enough to initiate the folding mechanism of the hood and to lift it, such as female orchids bees ( Eulaema ) and other orchid bees ( Euglossini ) or from other genera of the Real bees ; Bombus , Centris , Epicharis , and Xylocopa . The male orchid bees in turn pollinate the orchids that grow on the Brazil nut tree. It takes 14-15 months for the tree fruit to ripen, so that the fruit fall at the beginning of the rainy season.
use
The capsule fruits do not come from plantations, but almost exclusively from wild collections. They are picked up from the ground and taken to collection points; the harvest time extends over half a year during the rainy season.
In addition to the high protein and fat content - up to 70% - the Brazil nut also has a very high proportion of minerals ( calcium , iron , potassium , magnesium , phosphorus , selenium and zinc ) compared to other types of nuts . It is the largest vegetable supplier of selenium. However, it also stores barium and natural radioactive substances (such as radium -226 and radium-228). According to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, "Brazil nuts can have around 1,000 times higher levels of radium than general food in Germany."
Brazil nuts are an example of extractivism . Due to the long-lived and long-productive trees, the removal of fruit is hardly noticeable at first. However, if the nuts are collected too intensively after a while, there will be a lack of young trees that will grow again.
Economical meaning
According to the official FAO figures, there are only four countries in the world that produce significant quantities of Brazil nuts. The following values are available for 2018: Brazil 36,923 t, Bolivia 31,045 t, Ivory Coast 20,224 t and Peru 6,245 t. The total harvest worldwide was 94,437 t. The world harvest in the last ten years (2008-2017) was between 80,000 and 100,000 t. In order to improve the marketing opportunities and also to process the nuts more locally, a state-owned company was founded in Bolivia in 2009 ( Empresa Boliviana de Almendras y Derivados ). In the first year, around 700 t of Brazil nuts worth 26 million Bolivianos (around 3 million euros) were exported in this way . As a result, the first processing factory was built in the Beni department . Due to the constant expansion of activities, including a branch in Hamburg, both domestic consumption and exports could be increased significantly.
Brazil nut oil
Brazil nut oil is extracted from the dried peeled seeds, usually by cold pressing. Cold-pressed Brazil nut oil is light yellow and has a pleasant smell. The fatty acid composition consists of palmitic acid (14-16%), stearic acid (6-10%), oleic acid (29-48%), linoleic acid (30-47%). The physical characteristics are density (0.914–0.917 g / cm 3 ), freezing point (0–4 ° C), saponification number (193–202), iodine number (94–106) and unsaponifiable material (0.5–1%).
ingredients
100 g Brazil nuts have a calorific value of 2,743 kJ (655 kcal ) and contain:
| component | amount |
|---|---|
| water | 3.5 g |
| Proteins | 14.3 g |
| sugar | 2.3 g |
| Strength | 0.25 g |
| Fiber | 7.5 g |
| Fats | 66.4 g |
| from that | |
| saturated fat | 15.1 g |
| unsaturated fatty acids | 25.5 g |
| Polyunsaturated fatty acids | 20.6 g |
| Minerals: | |
| sodium | 3 mg |
| magnesium | 376 mg |
| phosphorus | 725 mg |
| potassium | 659 mg |
| Calcium | 160 mg |
| iron | 2.4 mg |
| selenium | 1.9 mg |
| zinc | 4.0 mg |
| Vitamins: | |
| vitamin C | 0.7 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 mg |
| Vitamin E. | 5.7 mg |
The wood of the Brazil nut tree contains saponins .
EU import restrictions for Brazil nuts
The European Commission (EC) has issued regulations in 2003 for the import of Brazil nuts on July 12. It has been found that the peel contains aflatoxin , many times more than is permitted in the EU. ("Such contamination poses a serious threat to public health in the Community and therefore protective measures must be taken at Community level.") According to the European Commission, all imported nuts must now be tested and have a certificate of origin. This exceeds the possibilities of the mostly South American producers. As a result, the traditional trade in whole Brazil nuts has declined sharply. In a more recent implementation regulation (No. 884/2014) of the EU Commission from 2014, the importance of the import ban on Brazil nuts from Brazil is specified again. ("Establishing special conditions for the import of certain feed and food from certain third countries due to the risk of aflatoxin contamination").
Systematics and botanical history
The Brazil nut tree ( Bertholletia excelsa ) is the only species in the genus Bertholletia . Within the family of Lecythidaceae , the closest relatives can be found in the genus Lecythis .
The species was first scientifically described by Aimé Bonpland in 1808 .
See also
literature
- Lecythidaceae . In: Scott A. Mori, Ghillean T. Prance (Eds.): Flora Neotropica Monograph . tape 21 , II - The Zygomorphic-flowered New World Genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis), 1990, ISBN 978-0-89327-345-3 .
- Pieter A. Zuidema, René GA Boot: Demography of the Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) in the Bolivian Amazon: impact of seed extraction on recruitment and population dynamics. In: Journal of Tropical Ecology. Vol. 18, pp. 1-31, 2002, doi : 10.1017 / S0266467402002018 .
- Food and fruit-bearing forest species. 3: Examples from Latin America , FAO Forestry Paper 44/3, FAO, 1986, ISBN 92-5-102372-7 , pp. 53-56.
Web links
- SA Mori, GT Prance: The Lecythidaceae Pages . The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. Bertholletia excelsa .
- The Brazil nut at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf.
- Bertholletia excelsa in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Americas Regional Workshop (Conservation & Sustainable Management of Trees, Costa Rica, November 1996), 1998. Accessed May 9, 2006 ..
Individual evidence
- ↑ Waldemar Ternes , Alfred Täufel, Lieselotte Tunger, Martin Zobel (eds.): Food Lexicon . 4th, comprehensively revised edition. Behr, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-89947-165-2 .
- ↑ In the original: 46 pounds per cubic foot.
- ^ A b Carl H. de Zeeuw: Secondary xylem of neotropical Lecythidaceae . In: Scott A. Mori, Ghillean T. Prance (Eds.): Flora Neotropica Monograph . tape 21 , no. II , 1990, p. 4-59 .
- ^ R. Lieberei, C. Reisdorff: Nutzpflanze. 8th edition, Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart / New York 2012, ISBN 978-3-13-530408-3 , p. 226 f.
- ↑ G. Czihak, H. Langer, H. Ziegler: Biology: A textbook. 6th edition, Springer, 1996, ISBN 978-3-642-85265-7 , p. 406.
- ↑ Ingredients on uni-duesseldorf.de.
- ↑ Natural radioactivity in food from the Federal Office for Radiation Protection.
- ↑ Crops> Brazil nuts, with Shell. In: FAO production statistics for 2018. fao.org, accessed on May 11, 2020 .
- ↑ EBA exportará más de 26 millones de bolivianos , Los Tiempos, July 29, 2010.
- ↑ EBA publication El Castañero , August 2013 ( Memento of March 10, 2016 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, release 21 (2008) ( Memento from July 19, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 1.2 MB), United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service.
- ↑ Regulation of the EU Commission on special provisions for the import of Brazil nuts in shell (PDF)
- ↑ Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 884/2014 of the Commission of August 13, 2014 (PDF)
- ↑ A. Bonpland: Plantes equinoxiales .... Paris, 1808, p. 122.Scan from botanicus.org .