PROCESSING OF ACKEE FRUIT (BLIGHIA SAPIDA L.): PRESENT AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

The ackee (Blighia sapida), a tropical fruit belonging to the Sapindaceae family, has its origin in West Africa but has traversed the Atlantic Ocean making the Caribbean its home where it grows wildly and also cultivated.
Because of its content of the toxic compound hypoglycin A, ackee arils were subjected to marketing and export restrictions.
However, and with recent toxicological and biochemical studies which demonstrated that toxicity of ripe ackee is extremely low and arils would be consumed, a technological process of arils canning was developed (US Patent 1982967B1). The process consists of mixing 26 to 36 whole or diced arils with 1.5% brine and then the total is canned and sealed.
The cans are sterilized at 210°C for 15 min, and temperature should be strictly below the boiling point so that the canned arils remain firm and retain good flavor.
The canned arils are exported to the United Kingdom and USA where they are welcomed by Jamaican immigrants and autochtons.
However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States restricts the limit of hypoglycin A to 100 ppm.

I International Symposium on Tropical Horticulture

M.A. Emanuel, N. Benkeblia

processing, perspectives, ackee

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.894.23