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| Sunday, 19 May 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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The nutritional value of jak
The Associated Newspaper of Ceylon Limited (ANCL) initiators of the Project to extend the cultivation of jak trees and popularise related products, seek assistance from the public for their project to plant one hundred thousand jak trees islandwide on June 11, 2002. Jak-fruit saplings about 2 1/2 - 4 months old are sought from the public. Individuals and organisations interested in granting Jak-fruit saplings are requested to write to the Coordinating Secretary, Jak Popularisation Project, C/o Silumina, Lake House, Colombo 10 The long standing relationship between jak-fruit, the all-purpose wonderfruit and the Sri Lankan households cannot be forgotten even in the 3rd millennium. Jak-fruit is truly a friend of the humankind, second to none with its many uses. Here we explore its food uses and nutritional value... "Kos gasa - bath gasa" said Arthur V. Dias the well known Kos Mama of Panadura, the ardent enthusiast who promoted the propagation of jak-fruit throughout the island. The campaign, which he started from his own garden in 1918, flourished islandwide 30 years later. Sri Lankans did not have to worry about starvation during the World War II for the wonderfruit was there, looming large at every household. Though the food patterns and tastes of the day seem to follow a western trend, jak-fruit still holds the power to bring a tinge, a lilt to the Sri Lankan palette. The usual substitute for the staple rice - boiled kos with scraped coconut and 'kattasambol' allures many a city dweller. Spicy 'polos embula' curried tender jakfruit; 'kiri kos' the white curry cooked with condiments and ripening fruits; and 'kalu pol maluva' the curried seeds are other all-time favourites of the young and old alike across all communities. Jak-fruit qualifies as a suitable substitute for the staple owing to it's rich content of carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and minerals, say Prof. M. P. M. Gunasena of the University of Peradeniya. The bulb or pulp of jak-fruit contains 18.9% carbohydrate as against 38.47% in seeds. Each 100 grams of pulp contains 98 calories as against 151 calories in seeds, confirming the popular saying that a jak-fruit seed provides nourishment equal to that of an egg. Recent research reveals that, jak-fruit pulp contains 11 essential amino acids. The high fibre content of the ripe bulb promotes flushing off the digestive system and arrests constipation. Research by Indian scientists had disclosed that ripe jak-fruit contains 1.74 % of Fructose, 5.96 % Glucose, 6.9 % of Sucrose, carotene, protein, lipids, calcium, phosphorous and iron. Ripe jak-fruit is also high in Vitamin B content. Each 100 grams of ripe jak-fruit contain 400 mgs of Niacin, 5.32 mgs of Folic acid and 27 mgs of Oxalic acid. Jak-fruit is the only vegetable available in the Sri Lankan market which is not grown using chemical fertilizers, pesticide or fungicides. Therefore, this food should be promoted as a health food opins Prof. Gunasena. Jak-fruit is consumed in its many forms as a staple substituting cereals, vegetables and fruits. Much varied are its preparations and methods of preservation. Sun drying of raw or boiled bulbs and seeds was a common practice in the Sri Lankan households. 'Atu kos' and 'weli kos' were two other forms of preservation. And now, jak-fruit in its many forms are readily available on supermarket shelves - dried, pickled, sweetened, salted, fried - in brine, in syrup or as substitutes for potato chips. Also increasing are the number of preparations. Custard, ice-cream, chutney, jam, jelly, paste, candy, cordial and alcoholic beverages are just a few among the growing list of preparations experimented with jak-fruit. |
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