Bread from a Fruit!

"A Plant a Day"- Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)-

 Believed to be the domesticated descendant of the Breadnut (A. camansi) from New Guinea, the Breadfruit is one of the species spread through the Austronesian expansion to naturalize on islands such as Maluku Islands, the Philippines and Hawaii. The Breadfruit is a flowering tree that lives in topical regions and grows up to about 85 feet with large deeply dissected leaves and producing grapefruit-sized fruits—as one of the highest-yielding food plants in the world! The Breadfruit gets its name for the fact that when its fruit is cooked, it has a consistency like bread and with a flavor like potato. The fruits, seeds, flowers and leaves are all utilized as foods. The fruits can be eaten raw or cooked, but is usually cooked and served in dishes such as in soups, or fried and served as fritters, or made into a mash and mixed with other things such as coconut milk. The seeds are also cooked and have about 8% protein and low in fat. The Breadfruit tree provides many uses, not only the fruit as food, but also the wood is much used for construction and boat-making, the latex is used for boat caulking, the flowers for a yellow tan to brown dye, firewood, inner bark and male flowers for making cloth, paper and cordage, among other uses. It is an important agroforestry tree which is often mixed with other tropical crops. A very recent study analyzed the potential of Breadfruit flour as a staple in the diet and found that it contains all the essential amino acids, is more nutritious than rice, wheat corn or rice, has a low glycemic index, is easier to digest and has advantages over wheat flower on water and oil holding capacity, swelling power and viscosity.

The Breadfruit tree also has a long history of use in traditional medicine and many of its parts are utilized. Among its traditional uses are the use of the latex topically for pain and inflammation, from sprains and other injuries, and in the ear for ear infections. A tea of the leaf is used for high blood pressure and diabetes. The bark is used for a number of conditions, including chest pains, digestive disorders, pains and headache. Through scientific investigation, the Breadfruit tree has been found to exhibit antitubercular, antiplasmodial, antiatherogenic, antiartherosclerotic, antioxidant, skin lightening, antihypertensive, anticancer, anthelmintic, antimicrobial, alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibition and mosquito deterrent activities.

? Ethnopharm #APlantADay #UsefulPlants #MedicinalPlants #Ethnopharm #botanicalswithbenefits #breadfruit #agroforestry #bread #tropics #newguinea #philippines #hawaii #malukuislands #carbohydrate #aminoacids

**This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician.

Photo by Michael Coghlan from Adelaide, Australia - Two Breadfruit

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