Brosimum alicastrum | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Moraceae |
Genus: | Brosimum |
Species: | B. alicastrum |
Binomial name | |
Brosimum alicastrum Sw. | |
Synonyms | |
Alicastrum browneiKuntze Contents |
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Energy | 908 kJ (217 kcal) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
46.28 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
0.99 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saturated | 0.267 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monounsaturated | 0.126 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Polyunsaturated | 0.527 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5.97 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tryptophan | 0.162 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Threonine | 0.232 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Isoleucine | 0.338 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leucine | 0.647 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lysine | 0.260 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Methionine | 0.035 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cystine | 0.093 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Phenylalanine | 0.282 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tyrosine | 0.439 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Valine | 0.578 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arginine | 0.549 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Histidine | 0.091 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alanine | 0.271 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aspartic acid | 0.659 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Glutamic acid | 0.835 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Glycine | 0.375 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Proline | 0.297 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Serine | 0.400 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Water | 45.00 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [2] |
Brosimum alicastrum, commonly known as breadnut, Maya nut or ramon, and many others, is a tree species in the family Moraceae of flowering plants, whose other genera include figs and mulberries. The plant is known by a range of names in indigenous Mesoamerican and other languages, including: ojoche, ojite, ojushte, ujushte, ujuxte, capomo, mojo, ox, iximche, masica in Honduras, uje in the state of Michoacan Mexico, mojote in Jalisco, chokogou in Haitian Creole and chataigne in Trinidadian Creole. In the Caribbean coast of Colombia it is called guaímaro or guaymaro.[ citation needed ]
Two subspecies are commonly recognized:
Brosimum alicastrum can be monoecious, dioecious or hermaphroditic, changing from female to male as they age. Birds and bats are responsible for the dispersion of the seeds. [3] A tree can produce 150–180 kg of fruits per year. It stays productive for 120–150 years. [4] The tree can grow up to 45 m (150 ft) in height and up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in diameter. [5] It starts producing flowers and fruits when the tree's trunk reaches 20 m (66 ft) high. [6] When planted from seed in full sun, fruiting can start at 3.5 years (Maya Nut Institute)[ better source needed ]
This tree is found on the west coast of central Mexico and in southern Mexico (Yucatán, Campeche), Guatemala, El Salvador, the Caribbean, and the Amazon basin. Large stands occur in moist lowland tropical forests at 300–2,000 m (980–6,560 ft) elevation (especially 125–800 m)[ clarification needed ], in humid areas with annual rainfall of 600–2,000 mm (24–79 in), and average temperatures of 24 °C (75 °F). [7]
The Maya nut fruit disperses on the ground at different times throughout its range. It has a large seed covered by a thin, citrus-flavored, orange-colored skin favored by a number of forest creatures. More importantly for humans, the large seed which is enveloped by the tasty skin is edible and can be boiled or dried and ground into a meal for porridge or flatbread. The name "breadnut" probably arose because the seeds can be ground to produce bread. [8] Breadnut is nutritious and has value as a food source, and may have formed a part of the diet of the pre-Columbian Maya of the lowlands region in Mesoamerica, [9] [10] although to what extent has been a matter of some debate among historians and archaeologists: no verified remains or illustrations of the fruit have been found at any Mayan archaeological sites.[ citation needed ]
It was planted by the Maya civilization 2000 years ago and it has been claimed in several publications by Dennis E. Puleston to have been a staple food in the Maya diet. [10] Puleston demonstrated a strong correlation between ancient Maya settlement patterns and the distribution of relic stands of ramon trees. [11]
Other research has downplayed the Maya nut's significance. In the modern era, it has been marginalized as a source of nutrition and has often been characterized as a famine food.[ citation needed ]
The tree lends its name to the Maya archaeological sites of Iximché and Topoxte, both in Guatemala and Tamuin (reflecting the Maya origin of the Huastec peoples). It is one of the 20 dominant species of the Maya forest. [12] Of the dominant species, it is the only one that is wind-pollinated. It is also found in traditional Maya forest gardens. [13]
A high density of seeds during the seedling[ clarification needed ] offsets a reduced viability of the young plants and therefore enables a good yield. Seed storage is a common issue in seedling production. Long storage adversely affects the germination rate, for example after three weeks it decreases by 10%. [14] Refrigeration is not a solution as it risks killing the seeds. [15]
The Maya nut is high in fiber, calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, protein and B vitamins. [9] It has a low glycemic index (<50) and is very high in antioxidants and prebiotic fiber. The fresh seeds can be cooked and eaten or can be set out to dry in the sun and roasted and milled into a chocolatey tasting powder. Stewed, the nut tastes like mashed potato; roasted, it tastes like chocolate or coffee. It can be prepared in numerous other dishes. In Petén, Guatemala, the breadnut is cultivated for exportation and local consumption as powder, for hot beverages, and bread.[ citation needed ]
Breadnut leaves are commonly used as forage for livestock during the dry season in Central America. The fruits and seeds are also used to feed all kinds of animals. [5] [16]
Brosimum alicastrum can be used for carbon farming as a nut crop or fodder. [17] It is an oxalogene tree. It can therefore undertake a bacterial-fungal endosymbiosis which assists the oxalate-carbonate pathway (OCP) and especially the chemical reaction of biomineralization, and in this case biocalcification (to produce CaCO3 from CO2 and to store it in the soils). This tree would therefore act as a carbon sink, while providing resources for both humans and animals. [18] This was first shown by a biogeochemist Eric Verrechia, researcher at University of Lausanne in 2006. [19]
Brosimum alicastrum can be used to restore damaged soils. It can prevent erosion and act as a wind barrier. The tree tolerates poor, damaged, dried or salty soils and it requires few inputs after its planting. Furthermore, its oxalogenic activity increases the pH and the amount of organic matter in the soil once well implemented[ clarification needed ] in the agricultural system. This leads to an increased fertility thanks to a buffer effect. [20] Some research projects are currently on-going to develop this crop in its current distribution area. [21]
The pistachio, a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating in Persia. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food. The word can be countable or uncountable, meaning its plural is with or without an 's'.
Breadfruit is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) believed to be a domesticated descendant of Artocarpus camansi originating in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippines. It was initially spread to Oceania via the Austronesian expansion. It was further spread to other tropical regions of the world during the Colonial Era. British and French navigators introduced a few Polynesian seedless varieties to Caribbean islands during the late 18th century. Today it is grown in some 90 countries throughout South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, Central America and Africa. Its name is derived from the texture of the moderately ripe fruit when cooked, similar to freshly baked bread and having a potato-like flavor.
The kola nut is the seed of certain species of plant of the genus Cola, placed formerly in the cocoa family Sterculiaceae and now usually subsumed in the mallow family Malvaceae. These cola species are trees native to the tropical rainforests of Africa. Their caffeine-containing seeds are about 5 centimetres (2.0 in) across and are used as flavoring ingredients in various carbonated soft drinks, from which the name cola originates.
Calcium oxalate (in archaic terminology, oxalate of lime) is a calcium salt of oxalic acid with the chemical formula CaC2O4 or Ca(COO)2. It forms hydrates CaC2O4·nH2O, where n varies from 1 to 3. Anhydrous and all hydrated forms are colorless or white. The monohydrate CaC2O4·H2O occurs naturally as the mineral whewellite, forming envelope-shaped crystals, known in plants as raphides. The two rarer hydrates are dihydrate CaC2O4·2H2O, which occurs naturally as the mineral weddellite, and trihydrate CaC2O4·3H2O, which occurs naturally as the mineral caoxite, are also recognized. Some foods have high quantities of calcium oxalates and can produce sores and numbing on ingestion and may even be fatal. Cultural groups with diets that depend highly on fruits and vegetables high in calcium oxalate, such as those in Micronesia, reduce the level of it by boiling and cooking them. They are a constituent in 76% of human kidney stones. Calcium oxalate is also found in beerstone, a scale that forms on containers used in breweries.
Juglans nigra, the eastern American black walnut, is a species of deciduous tree in the walnut family, Juglandaceae, native to North America. It grows mostly in riparian zones, from southern Ontario, west to southeast South Dakota, south to Georgia, northern Florida and southwest to central Texas. Wild trees in the upper Ottawa Valley may be an isolated native population or may have derived from planted trees.
Agroforestry is a land use management system that integrates trees with crops or pasture. It combines agricultural and forestry technologies. As a polyculture system, an agroforestry system can produce timber and wood products, fruits, nuts, other edible plant products, edible mushrooms, medicinal plants, ornamental plants, animals and animal products, and other products from both domesticated and wild species.
Bactris gasipaes is a species of palm native to the tropical forests of Central and South America. It is well spread in these regions, where it is often cultivated by smallholders in agroforestry systems or more rarely, in monoculture. Common names include peach palm in English, among others used in South American countries. It is a long-lived perennial plant that is productive for 50 to 75 years on average. Its population has an important genetic diversity, leading to numerous fruits, colors, and qualities. The fruits are edible and nutritious but need to be cooked for 30 minutes to five hours. They also benefit many animals in the wild. Peach-palms are also cultivated for the heart of palm, and the trunk can make valuable timber.
A chultún is a bottle-shaped underground storage chamber built by the pre-Columbian Maya in southern Mesoamerica. Their entrances were surrounded by plastered aprons which guided rainwater into them during the rainy seasons. Most of these archaeological features likely functioned as cisterns for potable water.
Brosimum is a genus of plants in the family Moraceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas.
Ancient Maya cuisine was varied and extensive. Many different types of resources were consumed, including maritime, flora, and faunal material, and food was obtained or produced through strategies such as hunting, foraging, and large-scale agricultural production. Plant domestication concentrated upon several core foods, the most important of which was maize.
Milicia excelsa is a tree species from the genus Milicia of the family Moraceae. Distributed across tropical Central Africa, it is one of two species yielding timber commonly known as ọjị, African teak, iroko, intule, kambala, moreira, mvule, odum and tule.
Breadnut may refer to:
Dennis E. Puleston Ph.D was an American archaeologist and ecologist. Puleston archaeology, biologyecology developed the ecological approach to the study of archaeology, looking at the manner in which humans adapt to their natural environment. His work involved pioneering interdisciplinarity methods which remain current to this day and led to a greater emphasis upon ecological and experimental archaeological research in the 80's and 90's. His work is still used to teach the importance of diversity in scientific interest, need for social relevance, and problem solving in archaeology classes due to the broadness of his approach. Puleston's work ranged from experiments in reconstruction and usefulness testing of chultuns or raised fields, building a traditional dugout canoe and using it to investigate otherwise unreachable areas, or challenging the belief that the Ancient Maya subsisted on a milpa agricultural complex – maize, beans, and squash.
Artocarpus camansi, the breadnut, is a species of medium-sized tree in the family Moraceae. It is native to New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippines. It is the wild ancestor of the breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) and is also sometimes known as the seeded breadfruit, to distinguish it from its mostly seedless descendant. Breadnut fruits are edible when cooked. The large seeds can also be roasted and eaten.
Lecythis minor, the monkey-pot tree, is a small tree with toxic seeds that occurs in South America.
Carbon farming is a set of agricultural methods that aim to store carbon in the soil, crop roots, wood and leaves. The technical term for this is carbon sequestration. The overall goal of carbon farming is to create a net loss of carbon from the atmosphere. This is done by increasing the rate at which carbon is sequestered into soil and plant material. One option is to increase the soil's organic matter content. This can also aid plant growth, improve soil water retention capacity and reduce fertilizer use. Sustainable forest management is another tool that is used in carbon farming. Carbon farming is one component of climate-smart agriculture. It is also one way to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Brosimum utile(Kunth), also called Galactodendron, Pittier is a plant species in the family Moraceae.
Brosimum parinarioides, also called leite de amapá, is an evergreen tree which grows in the semi-arid to humid tropical lowlands of South America. It can reach a height of up to 32 m.
Canarium indicum, known as galip nut, is a mainly dioecious tree native in eastern Melanesia. It is usually found in rainforests, secondary forests, old garden areas, around villages and settlements. It is also used as a shade tree, as a windbreak and in agroforestry. Canarium is important in the world food system as it can be used as a food and timber source, in traditional medicine, intercropping and agroforestry.