Nutritional and Health Benefits of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.): A Review.

R A S N Ranasinghe,S D T Maduwanthi,R A U J Marapana

doi:10.1155/2019/4327183

R A S N Ranasinghe, S D T Maduwanthi + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/4327183

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Abstract

Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., which is commonly known as jackfruit is a tropical climacteric fruit, belonging to Moraceae family, is native to Western Ghats of India and common in Asia, Africa, and some regions in South America. It is known to be the largest edible fruit in the world. Jackfruit is rich in nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Both the seeds and the flesh of jackfruit are consumed as curries and boiled forms, while the flesh in fully ripen stage can be eaten directly as a fruit. Several countries have developed different food products such as jam, jellies, marmalades, and ice creams using pureed jackfruit. The several parts of jack tree including fruits, leaves, and barks have been extensively used in traditional medicine due to its anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and hypoglycemic effects. Despite all these benefits, unfortunately, the fruit is underutilized in commercial scale processing in regions where it is grown. The aim of this review is to disseminate the knowledge on nutritional and health benefits of jackfruit, in order to promote utilization of jackfruit for commercial scale food production.

Highlights

Jackfruit is one of the commonly consumed foods in Sri Lanka from the ancient time
Jackfruit is a tropical tree, which is a rich source of nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and phytochemicals
Previous studies have revealed numerous health benefits of jackfruit including anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and hypoglycemic properties. It is considered as an underutilized fruit in commercial scale, mainly due to higher percentage of inedible portion which leads to more waste generation, difficulty in peeling and separation of edible bulbs from the rind, lack of knowledge on proper postharvest practices, and inadequate processing facilities in regions where they are grown

Summary

Introduction

Jackfruit is one of the commonly consumed foods in Sri Lanka from the ancient time. It is a nonseasonal fruit and had a major contribution to the food supply of the people and their livestock when there were short supplies of staple food grains [1, 2]. It is referred to as poorman’s food [3]. It is a monoecious tree and both male and female inflorescences are found on the same tree [4, 5]. The complete fruit development process takes about three to seven months from the pollination, varying in different countries. The complete fruit development process takes about three to seven months from the pollination, varying in different countries. [6]

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