Written by Natasha• Maio 28, 2023• 1:43 pm• Food • Views: 0

Innovation with jackfruit: the fruit has been rediscovered and is a superfood

Imagine a fruit that can be consumed in natura, originating products such as vegan meat, chocolate, ice cream, flour and even beer. All this is innovation with jackfruit!

Jackfruit is originally from India, but has adapted very well in South America, Asia and Africa. A single jackfruit tree yields 2 to 4 tons of fruit per year and there are at least 25 different varieties of it. If being cheap and accessible is not enough to convince you that innovation with jackfruit is a good deal, know that it is also nutritious, has a low glycemic index and a high fiber content.

Jaqueira

The pulp is edible, that is, the ripe yellow pulp (or even still green), the seeds and even the leaves, used to combat anemia and diarrhea. Brazilian researchers created a device to detect leukemia using jacalin, a substance present in the fruit.

For all these reasons it is considered a “superfood”, a term that despite not having a consensus among health experts, is already widely used.

Jackfruit pulp and seeds

There are many possibilities of use

As the smell of ripe fruit is very strong and characteristically sweet, it has been relegated to the background. Only recently has the scientific community begun to study the potential use of jackfruit in new products. Until then, it was mostly used in animal feed and the surplus went to waste.

It can replace or complement wheat, corn, rice and other crops in the diet. It can be consumed frozen, dehydrated, raw, cooked, fermented, ripe or green. And now with the appreciation, the news is emerging: pickles, jam, juice, cake, “vegan meat”, cake, ice cream, beer… the list is really long.

Jackfruit seed cake – Jaxo 100

Frozen jackfruit pulp Jackfruit365

Jackfruit beer Ex Novo Brew: it was a special edition and is not currently for sale.

The flesh of the cooked green fruit has a texture close to pork meat and a neutral taste:

Innovation with jackfruit

Jackfruit meat in ready-to-eat dishes The Jackfruit Company

Jackfruit barbecue Upton’s Naturals

It also gives rise to baby food with pulp and seed flour of jackfruit, banana and chestnuts:

Baby food

Chocolate: Innovation from my food scientist colleagues at the University of São Paulo, the use of fermented jackfruit seeds in chocolate production is promising because it can replace the use of cocoa.

It is a cheaper and more abundant alternative with aroma characteristics similar to the original chocolate.