2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Sapodilla / Manilkara Sapota /, also known as tree potato, is a beautiful evergreen tree that has a smooth upright trunk and thick bark. The sapodilla belongs to the Sapotov family. This is a very slow-growing plant, which in open spaces reaches a height of about 18 meters, and forests reach an impressive 30 meters.
Sapodilla originates from the southern parts of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula and northeastern Guatemala. It is grown throughout Central America, Florida, India, Sri Lanka. One of the main reasons for the widespread spread of sapodilla is its resistance. Withstands cold and drought.
The fruits of sapodilla are fleshy and rusty brown in color. They reach sizes from 3 to 8 cm. Inside the fruit are 8 seeds, which are black in color. The weight of a fruit is about 150 g.
Composition of the sapodilla
The fruits sapodilla are rich in polyphenolic compounds, tannin, fiber / 5.6 g in 100 g /, large amounts of antioxidants - vitamin C and vitamin A. 100 g of sapodilla contains 25% of the recommended intake of vitamin C.
Sapodilla is rich in copper, potassium, iron, niacin, pantothenic acid and folic acid. The fruits are composed of easily digestible cellulose and simple sugars such as fructose and sucrose.
Selection and storage of sapodilla
Sapodilla is not a very common fruit in Bulgaria. Unfortunately, the delicious fruit is still not available in stores, but some specialty stores offer fruit seeds. The order is made with a preliminary request, and the delivery is made within 1-2 months.
Use of sapodilla
The tree sapodilla is mainly used for the production of chewing gum, which is produced from the resin of the wood known as chicory.
As far back as 1871, in South and Central America, chewing gum was patented by adding sugar and various spices to improve the taste to the resin extracted from the wood.
Chicory is a natural rubber that is collected from wood. There is information about its use since the Maya. Collected from July to February, during the rainy season. The bark of the sapodilla splits and juice flows from it.
It is carefully collected, filtered and heated. The liquid turns into a resin, which is suitable for forming gum cubes. From a tree sapodilla 3-4 kg of product can be obtained annually.
An interesting fact is that such splitting does not harm the plant, but the next collection of resin can take place only after 3 years.
The main supplier of chicory is Mexico, which exports to world markets and the United States more than 2,000 tons per year. Due to the depletion of chicory as a raw material, today chewing gum is made mainly by mixing rubber, oils and other types of resins.
Besides chicory, the tree also gives very tasty fruits. They have a transparent jelly-like flesh, but green fruits are not preferable because they contain gum and stick to the gums.
On the other hand, the ripe fruits are very sweet and tasty, they do not contain gum. In appearance they resemble an apple.
The fruits are eaten fresh, but the seeds must be removed before consumption because they contain hydrocyanic acid.
Benefits of sapodilla
Rich in fiber in fruits sapodilla makes them a good laxative. Fiber helps relieve constipation and protects the lining of the colon from serious diseases such as cancer.
The large amount of antioxidant vitamins in sapodilla make it a valuable fruit for health. Vitamin A in the fetus is essential for vision.
The minerals and vitamins in sapodilla are important for optimal health because they are involved in various metabolic processes in the body.
In addition to the edible fruits of the tree, the bark and seeds are used. The juice extracted from the bark is used for fever and diarrhea, and oil is extracted from the inside of the seeds, which helps with hair loss and skin irritations.
