Blighia sapida

Blighia sapida

The ackee or acki, akee, ackee apple (Blighia sapida K.D.Koenig, 1806) is an arboreal species belonging to the Sapindaceae family.

Systematics –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Magnoliophyta division,
Class Magnoliopsida,
Sapindales order,
Sapindaceae family,
Genus Blighia,
Species B. sapida.
The terms are synonyms:
– Akea solitaria Stokes;
– Akeesia africana Tussac;
– Bonannia nitida Raf.;
– Cupania akeesia Cambess.;
– Cupania akeesia Cambess. ex Spach;
– Cupania edulis Schumach. & Thonn.;
– Cupania sapida (K.D.Koenig) Oken;
– Cupania sapida Voigt;
– Sapindus obovatus Wight & Arn..

Etymology –
The term Blighia was attributed in honor of the English Captain William Bligh (1754-1817), who brought the fruit from Jamaica to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, England, in 1793, and best known for having been in command of HMS Bounty during the famous mutiny.
The specific sapid epithet comes from the Latin sapidus, a, um, that is tasty, in reference to the flavor of the fruits.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Blighia sapida is a plant native to tropical West Africa and in particular to an area that includes: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe , Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
It was imported to Central America in the late 18th century and naturalized in several countries.
Its natural habitat is that of tropical Africa where it grows in the plain forests, both evergreen and semi-deciduous, and in the savannah or in the driest parts of the forests.

Description –
The Blighia sapida is an evergreen, dioecious tree, which can reach 25 m in height, characterized by a thick crown.
It has a trunk that can grow long and straight and branchless to 15 meters but more often is much shorter and curved or twisted, up to 80 cm in diameter, often with small buttresses.
It has smooth gray or light brown bark.
The leaves are paripinnate, compound, 15-30 centimeters long, with 6-10 leathery leaflets, elliptic to oblong in shape. Each leaflet is 8–12 centimeters long and 5–8 centimeters wide.
The inflorescences are 5-18 cm long hanging axillary racemes with tiny perfumed flowers, both bisexual and male on the same plant, with white or cream corolla with 5 ovate-lanceolate petals, 0,4 cm long, hairy, and 8 0, 5cm.
The fruit is a three-lobed fleshy capsule, 7-10 cm long and 4-5 cm broad, of a glossy red-yellow color and pear-shaped. When ripe it turns from green to bright red to yellow-orange and opens to reveal three large, glossy black seeds, each partially surrounded by soft, creamy or spongy, white to yellow flesh; the aril has a nut-like flavor and texture of scrambled eggs. The fruit typically weighs 100-200 grams.
The tree can produce fruit throughout the year, although January-March and October-November are typically fruit-producing times.

Cultivation –
Blighia sapida is a multipurpose tree, providing food, medicine and various products for the local population. The tree is often grown for its edible fruit in many areas of the tropics and subtropics, especially in the Caribbean.
It can also be grown as an ornamental and shade plant due to its fragrant flowers.
The plant was introduced to Jamaica by Captain Bligh in 1793 to provide food for slaves, and from there it spread to other tropical American countries and elsewhere. However, it has been banned from being imported into the USA by the US Food and Drug Administration.
This plant can be cultivated in lowland tropical and subtropical climates, from drier to very humid, where, in nature, it is found at altitudes of up to 900 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are between 24-27°C, but can tolerate 20-34°C.
Mature plants cannot tolerate temperatures above -3°C, but young plants are intolerant of any frost.
They prefer an average annual rainfall between 2,000 and 4,000 mm, but tolerate between 700 and 6,000 mm; moreover they grow better in a sunny position.
Soil-wise they prefer moist, loamy, fertile, well-drained soil, including infertile and rocky soils with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5, tolerating between 4.3 and 8.
Rooted plants are drought tolerant.
Early growth is fast on moderately fertile soils. Seedlings grow best in empty spaces in tropical and subtropical forest areas, with an average annual height increase of 70 cm.
Plants can begin fruiting when they are 3 to 4 years of growth from seed.
They reproduce by seed, which has a short-term germinability, with germination times of 2-4 weeks and first flowering in the third, fourth year of age, and by cutting, in sandy loam, with the first flowering after 1-2 years .
There are up to forty-eight cultivars, grouped into “butter” or “cheese” types. The type of cheese is straw yellow in color and is more robust and is used in the canning industry. The type of butter has a more intense yellow colour, it is more delicate and more suitable for certain cuisines.

Customs and Traditions –
Blighia sapida is a plant of particular importance in Jamaica, where it is widely used for food.
It is known by various common names, including: ackee, akee, akee apple (English); akée, arbre fricassé, fisanier, yeux de crabe (French); castanheiro-da-África (Portuguese); aki, árbol de seso, árbol del huevo, huevo vegetal, merey del diablo, palo de seso, pera roja, seso vegetal (Spanish); akibaum (German).
The aril, which is the edible part of the fruit, when immature, is particularly poisonous, its ingestion causes acute hypoglycemia which can be fatal, commonly called “Jamaica vomit” due to the high number of cases, even lethal, documented in this island, it should therefore be consumed when completely ripe; the other parts of the fruit and in particular the seeds retain their high toxicity even when fully ripe.
The fruit opens as it grows and shows 3 edible arils, therefore, only when ripe.
The aril, deprived of the seed, is eaten raw or more frequently cooked, fried after boiling in salted water or milk.
The toxic substances contained in the immature aril are water-soluble hypoglycines (A and B) which are largely neutralized when fully ripe and by exposure to light; the cooking of the immature arils does not eliminate the toxic substances, while in the mature ones it helps to eliminate the residues. The toxic substances are contained in the seeds to a greater extent than in the aril and remain even when fully ripe, they must therefore be carefully eliminated due to their high toxicity.
The fruit contains a moderate amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, providing 51-58% of the dry weight of the arils as composed of fatty acids: linoleic, palmitic and stearic acids. The raw fruit is also a rich source of vitamin C.
The immature aril and inedible portions of the fruit, as mentioned, contain hypoglycine toxins including hypoglycin A and hypoglycin B, known as “soap toxins”.
Hypoglycin A is found in both seeds and arils, while hypoglycin B is found only in seeds.
Minimal amounts of the toxin are found in mature arils. In unripe fruit, depending on the season and sun exposure, concentrations can be up to 10-100 times higher.
These two molecules are converted into methylenecyclopropylacetic acid (MCPA) in the body and are toxic with potentially lethal potential. MCPA and hypoglycin A inhibit several enzymes involved in the degradation of acyl-CoA compounds, often irreversibly binding to coenzyme A, carnitine and carnitine acyltransferases I and II, reducing their bioavailability and consequently inhibiting fatty acid beta oxidation . As a result, glucose stores become depleted leading to hypoglycemia.
As mentioned, these effects only occur when the unripe aril (or an inedible part of the fruit) is consumed.
Although the fruit is widely used in traditional dishes, research into its potential hypoglycine toxicity has been scant and preliminary, requiring evaluation in a well-designed clinical trial to better understand its pharmacology, dietary uses, and detoxification methods.
In 2011, it was found that as the fruit ripens, the seeds act as a sink where hypoglycin A in the arils converts to hypoglycin B. In other words, the seeds help detoxify the arils, bringing the concentration of hypoglycin A to a level that is generally safe for consumption.
Consumption of unripe aril seeds has probably caused many cases of encephalopathy in children in Burkina Faso and other West African countries.
Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica, while ackee and saltfish are the official national dish of Jamaica.
In Jamaica the fruit is widely used in cooking, and the arils are the basis of what is considered the Jamaican national dish, Ackee and saltfish.
In West Africa it is consumed less, usually raw, fried or roasted.
The fruit can fully open before harvesting to eliminate toxicity. When it has “yawned” or “smiled,” the seeds are discarded and the fresh, firm arils are blanched in salted water or milk, and can be fried in butter to create a delicious dish.
In Caribbean cuisine, they can be cooked with cod and vegetables, or they can be added to stews, curries, soups, or rice with seasonings.
Among other uses it should be noted that the fruit has various uses in West Africa and in rural areas of the Caribbean islands, including the use of its properties as a recycling agent or fish poison.
The fragrant flowers can be used as decoration or cologne, and the heartwood, quite durable and resistant to xylophagous insects, is used for light constructions, furniture, piling, oars, paddles and barrels and kitchen utensils. The wood is locally used as firewood and for the production of charcoal.
Also in traditional African medicine, the ripe arils, leaves or bark were used to treat minor ailments.
The peels of the fruits and the oil extracted from the seeds are used to make soap.
Additionally, in agroforestry uses, the tree is often planted to provide shade and is considered useful for soil improvement and erosion control.

Method of Preparation –
Blighia sapida is a plant that is important in some countries, such as Jamaica, where it is widely used for food.
Pickled canned ackee is a consumer good and is used for export from Jamaica, Haiti and Belize.
In edible use, the fruits are consumed when they are completely ripe.
The fleshy arils surrounding the seeds are firm and oily, with a nutty flavor, although they can quickly turn rancid.
The fleshy fruit can also be put into curries, used in soups, stews, soufflés, etc.
Fruits are harvested when they have naturally opened, revealing glossy black seeds embedded in spongy cream-colored arils.
The seeds produce a yellowish oil which is thought to be edible.
In medicinal use, parts of the plant are used to treat anemia and itching.
In the traditional medicine of the Ivory Coast, Blighia sapida is widely used for the treatment of yellow fever, epilepsy and edema, and as a laxative and diuretic.
The sap from the terminal buds is instilled into the eyes to treat ophthalmia and conjunctivitis.
The pulp of crushed leafy twigs is rubbed on the forehead to cure migraine.
The ground leaves, combined with plant salts, are applied as a paste to treat yaws and ulcers.
The leaves are used in the treatment of fever and dizziness and the twigs to treat hepatitis, cirrhosis and amygdalitis.
Decoctions of bark and leaves are administered to treat edema, intercostal pain, dysentery and diarrhea.
On the wounds apply decoctions of bark or fruit walls.
The pounded bark is given as an antidote to snake and scorpion bites.
The bark, ground with chili pepper (Capsicum annuum), is rubbed into the body as a stimulant.
The seeds are taken to treat stomach ailments, including nausea and vomiting.
The aqueous extracts of the seeds are administered to expel the parasites.
The flowers are used in the preparation of an aromatic water and for cosmetic use.
The green fruits produce a foam in warm water and are used as a laundry soap and as a mordant for dye.
The seed oil is used to make traditional soap. The seeds contain about 26% oil suitable for industrial applications.
A tattoo ink is made from the seeds.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
– https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/126767404/original.jpeg

Attention: The pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not in any way represent a medical prescription; we therefore decline all responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic or food purposes.