Kola nut
As kola nut , also Colanuss , Goronuss , Bissynuss or Kakkoruku , the whole or the individual, separated are cotyledons of the seeds of the tropics , particularly in West and Central Africa , domiciled colas ( Coke refers). They come mainly from Cola acuminata and Cola nitida , but more rarely from other types of Cola . They are particularly cultivated in Nigeria, among others .
description
Kola nuts ripen in a follicle which is part of a pelvic fruit ; a follicle contains a total of four to 14 or more “nuts”. The green to brownish follicles are egg-shaped to elongated or rounded, with a more or less bumpy to relatively smooth surface and they are 12 to 20 cm long. The round-edged seeds are smooth and irregular, from round or egg-shaped to ellipsoidal or square and they are partly flattened on one side to disk-shaped, they have a whitish, fleshy and soft seed coat ( Sarkotesta , Arillus ) and a papery, brownish tegmen, which is then removed become. Among them are the large, connected 2 (to 7) cotyledons (the nuts), they are more or less reddish to purple or yellowish to beige and about two to four centimeters in size. The individual cotyledons of the seeds can easily be detached from each other and used individually.
In Europe, the kola nut is usually available in powder form.
ingredients
The main active ingredients are caffeine (2.2 up to 3.5%) and theobromine (0.04%). This means that the caffeine content of the kola nut is significantly higher than that of conventional coffee. There are various data on the theobromine content in the literature (0.05% –1%); a recent study found 0.31%. It also contains: catechin , epicatechin , procyanidins , tannins , up to 45% starch, proteins, sugar, fats and minerals.
Effect / use
The kola nut has been a popular luxury food in Africa for centuries. There, the slightly bitter, earthy-tasting, walnut-sized "nuts" are broken open along the seam, broken into smaller pieces, chewed for about an hour and then spat out.
The cola nut has a stimulating effect due to its high caffeine content. The caffeine is bound differently in the kola nut than in the coffee, which is known for caffeine, and therefore has a different mode of action than the latter. The side effects that often occur as a result of coffee consumption, such as palpitations and nervousness, therefore only occur to a limited extent with the kola nut. A digestive and analgesic effect are also known; it is used against headaches, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. It stimulates the intestinal peristalsis . It is also aphrodisiac reported effect, probably to the one used for caffeine and theobromine increased adrenaline - and serotonin levels is due.
They are also chewed together with the "nuts" (seeds) of Garcinia kola . It is believed that the use of kola nuts improves the enjoyment of the kola nuts and enables them to be consumed in larger quantities.
In many African cultures, the kola nut has a special cultural meaning. In some ethnic groups it is common to give kola nuts as a gift to guests; they are a symbol of hospitality. The importance of consuming the kola nut is similar to that of smoking a peace pipe in ancient American cultures. It is also customary in some places for the groom to present the bride's parents with a basket of kola nuts before the wedding.
In industry, cola nut and coca extracts were originally used to produce soft drinks such as cola , but most manufacturers have now switched to the much cheaper caffeine that is used in the production of decaffeinated coffee. The use of coca extracts was also discontinued soon after the invention.
Cola drinks that still contain extracts from the natural kola nut today include Fever-Tree , Premium Cola, Community Cola, Fritz-Kola , Club-Mate Cola, Mio Mio Cola , the Swiss product Vivi Kola and Red Bull Cola . The energy chocolate Scho-Ka-Kola also contains 1.6% kola nut powder. The kola nut is also used as an ingredient in herbal and fruit teas.
literature
Waldemar Ternes , Alfred Täufel, Lieselotte Tunger, Martin Zobel (eds.): Food lexicon . 4th, comprehensively revised edition. Behr, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-89947-165-2 . , P. 350
Web links
- Cola nitida - picking, breaking and chewing a fresh Kola nut Video on YouTube, accessed September 20, 2019.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Waldemar Ternes , Alfred Täufel, Lieselotte Tunger, Martin Zobel (eds.): Food lexicon . 4th, comprehensively revised edition. Behr, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-89947-165-2 . Page 350
- ^ Wolfgang Franke: Nutzpflanzenkunde. 5th edition, Thieme Verlag 1992, p. 325.
- ^ Walter Vent: Useful plants of foreign peoples. Series of books for the student, Volk und Wissen Verlag Berlin 1967, p. 34.
- ↑ Robert Ebermann, Ibrahim Elmadfa: Textbook food chemistry and nutrition . Springer, 2011, ISBN 3-7091-0211-1 , pp. 523 .
- ↑ Laboratory for Microbiology and Hygiene: Laboratory analysis of kola nut powder. In: kolakao.de. Anna-Theresa Schmidt, February 4, 2019, accessed June 25, 2019 .
- ↑ European Herbal Infusions Association, Inventory List of Herbals Considered as Food ( online ( memento of the original from December 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and remove then this note. )
