Ackee

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iAckee

Ackee fruit

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Subkingdom:	Tracheobionta
Superdivision:	Spermatophyta
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Subclass:	Rosidae
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Sapindaceae
Genus:	Blighia
Species:	B. sapida

Binomial name

Blighia sapida
K.D.Koenig

The Ackee or Akee (Blighia sapida) is a member of the Sapindaceae (soapberry family), native to tropical West Africa in Cameroon, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo^[1].

It is related to the Lychee and the Longan, and is an evergreen tree that grows about 10 metres tall, with a short trunk and a dense crown. The leaves are pinnate^[2], leathery, compound, 15-30 cm long, with 6-10 elliptical obovate-oblong leaflets. Each leaflet is 8-12 cm long and 5-8 cm broad.

Ackee Flower

The flowers are unisexual and fragrant. They have five petals, are greenish-white^[3] and bloom during warm months^[4]. The fruit is pear-shaped. When it ripens, it turns from green to a bright red to yellow-orange, and splits open to reveal three large, shiny black seeds, surrounded by soft, creamy or spongy, white to yellow flesh - arilli^[2].The fruit typically weighs 100-200g^[2].

The scientific name honours Captain William Bligh, of the HMAV Bounty^[3] who is said to have introduced the fruit from West Africa (from present-day Guinea) to the Caribbean islands, and specifically to Jamaica in 1793. Contrary to popular belief it is was in fact Dr. Thomas Clark who first imported the fruit to Jamaica in 1778^[5]. Since then it has become a major feature of various Caribbean cuisines, and is also cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas elsewhere around the world. The term 'ackee' may have originated from the Twi language^[6]. Other names and variant spellings include Ackee, Akee, akee apple, Achee, or vegetable brain.

1 Cultivation and uses
- 1.1 Ackee Poisoning
- 1.2 Economic Importance
2 References
3 External links

[edit] Cultivation and uses

The crop has been introduced to other regions in the tropics. It was first introduced to Jamaica and later to Haiti, Cuba Puerto Rico, Barbados and others. It has been later introduced to Florida in the United States.

The oil of the ackee arils contains many important nutrients, especially fatty acids. Linoleic, palmitic and stearic acids are the primary fatty acids found in the fruit^[7]. Ackee oil makes an important contribution to the diet of many Jamaicans.

Ackee and salt fish (cod) is the national dish of Jamaica. Salt cod is sautéed with ackee, pork fat, onions, peppers, tomatoes, herbs, and may be garnished with crisp bacon and fresh tomatoes.

The dried seeds, fruit bark and leaves are used medicinally^[8]. The fruit is used to produce soap in some parts of Africa. It is also used as a fish poison^[9].

[edit] Ackee Poisoning

Closed Ackee Fruit

The fruit of the Ackee is not edible in entirety. It is only the fleshy arils around the seeds that are edible while the remainder of the fruit and seeds are poisonous. The fruit must only be picked after it has opened naturally, and it must be fresh and not overripe. Immature and overripe Ackee fruit are also poisonous. The fruit, even when ripe, is a cause of Jamaican vomiting sickness, characterized by vomiting and hypoglycemia.

The unripened or inedible portions of the fruit contain the toxins hypoglycin A and hypoglycin B. Hypoglicin A is found in both the seeds and the arilli, while hypoglycin B is found only in the seeds^[2]. Hypoglycin is converted in the body to methylenecyclopropyl acetic acid (MCPA). Hypoglycin and MCPA are both toxic. MCPA inhibits several enzymes involved in the breakdown of acyl CoA compounds. Hypoglycin binds irreversibly to coenzyme A and carnitine reducing their bioavailability and consequently inhibiting beta oxidation of fatty acids. Beta oxidation normally provides the body with ATP, NADH and acetyl CoA which is used to supplement the energy produced by glycolysis. Glucose stores are consequently depleted leading to hypoglycemia^[10] .

[edit] Economic Importance

The ackee fruit is canned and is a major export product in Jamaica. In 2005 the ackee industry was valued at $400 million in the Island^[11]. The importing of canned ackee into the US has at times been restricted due to unripe ackee arilli being included. However, it is currently allowed, provided that the amount of hypoglycin present meets standards of the Food and Drug Administration.

[edit] References

^ GRIN/NPGS Taxonomy information. Retrieved on 2006-06-01.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d (1995) Intoxications of the Nervous System. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Science B.V.. ISBN 0-444-81284-9.
^ ^a ^b Riffle, Robert (1998). The Tropical Look. Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-422-9.
^ Llamas, Kristen (2003). Tropical Flowering Plants: A Guide to Identification and Cultivation. Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-585-3.
^ This is Jamaica (HTML). National Symbols of Jamaica. Retrieved on 2006-06-04.
^ Metcalf, Allan (1999). The World in So Many Words. ISBN 0-395-95920-9.
^ Jamaican Ackee. Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
^ Mansfeld's World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops (english). Retrieved on 2006-06-01.
^ Duke, James, Mary Jo Bogenschutz-Godwin, Judi Ducellier, Duke A Duke (2002). Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. ISBN 0-8493-1284-1.
^ SarDesai, Vishwanath (2003). Introduction to Clinical Nutrition. New York: Marcel Dekker Inc.. ISBN 0-8247-4093-9.
^ Viable Ackee Industry must be Protected- BSJ Inspector. Retrieved on 2006-06-02.