Bread Tree
Breadfruit is a tropical plant widespread in India, South-East Asia and some islands of the Pacific Ocean (Leeward and Windward); currently, it also finds space in some Caribbean islands, as well as in Africa.
The bread tree is closely related to Jackfrut and col Breadnut, better known as Artocarpus heterophyllus And Artocapus camansi.
The bread tree is famous for its characteristic of producing edible fruits of good size, which, after cooking, acquire the typical smell and taste of fresh bread or cooked potatoes (depending on the processing). This food is also known as breadfruit.
It is a tree that can reach 10-20m in height; the leaves are large, shiny, bright green, leathery and deeply engraved. It produces unisexual flowers that sprout from different branches, which give rise to globular fruit. It grows luxuriantly in the flat areas, below 650m of altitude; however, some specimens also survive up to 1550m. The most suitable level of rainfall is 1,500-3,000mm of rain per year and the pH of the soil must be neutral-alkaline. Sandy, loamy or mixed clay soils are suitable; the plant does not give up even on coral sand.
The bread tree is one of the plants with the highest yield of edible part and produces up to 200 or more fruits per season. The wood obtained from it is resistant to parasites (such as termites), is very light and lends itself to boat building Sawdust is used for the paper industry, while latex is used to trap birds.
It seems that the ancient Polynesians found this tree in New Guinea 3500 years ago and that they themselves are responsible for its diffusion in most of the areas currently affected by its cultivation.
Fruits
The fruits of the bread tree are spherical or oval, as big as grapefruits or at most like our melons (diameter 10-20cm); green in color and superficially rough to the touch, they use a rather leathery rind. They are typically divided into very many achenes, each surrounded by a fleshy receptacle.
The fruits of the bread tree have an edible pulp (when cooked), white in color and a floury consistency (since it is rich in starch); even the seeds (now present only in wild cultivars) are edible after roasting. The fruit of the tree some bread can be eaten fresh or dried, fried, roasted, boiled or baked. It boasts a rather significant energy intake and is mainly provided by complex carbohydrates; left to ripen completely, this fruit becomes very sweet, by virtue of the conversion of starch into simple carbohydrates.
The fruits of the bread tree are a staple food for many populations of the tropical belts. The plant produces fruits almost all year round, but in the low season (and in the colder areas) they are not sufficient to satisfy the primary needs of the less affluent groups. In these areas, for the poor population, the preservation of fresh fruits is particularly problematic (due to the absence of food technologies). Therefore, in an attempt to prolong their shelf-life, some use digging pits in the ground, inside. of which, wrapped in leaves, the peeled and washed fruits are left to ferment (names: mahr, ma, masi, furo bwiru etc.).
Among the various applications of the breadfruit fruit, we also find semi-finished products. One of these is a fermented mixture with the addition of coconut milk, all cooked in banana leaves. Another is the fruit cut in half, partially emptied and filled with various fillings (sweet and savory). A paté of this product can also replace the traditional one then Hawaiian (mashed taro root). Also famous is the Puerto Rican dish based on the fruit of the boiled bread tree, cod, oil and onion.
The chemical composition of the bread tree is characterized by 25% carbohydrates, 70% water and the rest almost entirely from proteins and fibers; the energy intake is just over 100kcal / 100g. It has an average amount of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), small concentrations of vit. B1 (thiamine) and good levels of mineral salts such as zinc and potassium.
Flour
Sources:
- Research Gate
- Mulecular Nutrition and Food Reserch
A flour is also extracted from the fruit of the bread tree (in particular from the pulp). This product is not obtained only from the fresh fruit, but also from the fermented one, albeit still experimentally. Obviously, in both cases, first of the grinding (in a hammer mill) the fruit must be subjected to drying.
Breadfruit flour is a good source of carbohydrates, potassium (almost 700mg / 100g) and fiber. It has a mediocre protein content but with a biological value of 55.1%, which is the same as soy flour and egg flour (much higher than that of dried fruit) .The most present amino acids are valine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid, while the limiting one is methionine with cystine.
Being rather caloric, it could be used successfully in supporting the energy needs of less well-off consumers in the tropics. The high content of carbohydrates makes it a potential staple food, which could be used in the fight against hunger and to ensure overall food security. Furthermore, the high content of fiber and potassium, and the good biological protein value, make the breadfruit flour a very useful product to improve the content of various flours with a low content of these nutritional elements (eg cassava flour).
The use of fermentation is NOT particularly useful in optimizing the nutritional content of the flour, with a small exception as regards lipids. There is an increase in proteins (from 3.80 to 4.43%) and total ash (from 2.37 to 2.38%), even if the percentages are almost negligible. In addition, there is also a reduction in dietary fiber (from 3.12 to 3.0%), carbohydrates (from 79.24 to 76 , 71%) and minerals: calcium, iron, potassium, sodium and phosphorus; magnesium does not undergo substantial changes.
