Mangosteen

Mangosteen
File:Mangosteen.jpeg
Mangosteen fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Clusiaceae
Genus:	Garcinia
Species:	G. mangostana
Binomial name
Garcinia mangostana L.

Introduction and significance

The mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) is a tropical evergreen tree, believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas. The tree grows from 7 to 25 meters tall. The rind (pericarp) of the edible fruit is deep reddish purple when ripe. The fragrant flesh is sweet and creamy, citrusy with a touch of peach flavor. In Asia, the mangosteen fruit is known as the "Queen of Fruits." It is closely related to other edible tropical fruits such as button mangosteen and lemondrop mangosteen.

The outer shell of the fruit, its exocarp, is firm (softens during ripening), typically 4-6 cm in diameter, and contains astringent phytochemicals which discourage infestation by insects, fungi, plant viruses and bacteria. The same phytochemicals are pigments giving the exocarp its characteristic purple color, including phenolic acids, also called phenols. These pigments have antioxidant properties which afford the fruit further protection from ultraviolet radiation and free radicals generated during photosynthesis. Isolation of exocarp pigments has permitted their identity to be revealed as xanthones, mainly garcinol and mangostin[1], which, as phenolics, make the exocarp highly astringent and inedible.

Cutting through the shell, one finds edible flesh, botanically defined as an aril, shaped like a peeled tangerine but bright white, about 3-5 cm in diameter, nested in a deep red outer pod. Depending on the fruit size and ripeness, there might be seeds in the aril segments. The seeds, however, are not palatable unless roasted. The number of aril pods is directly related to the number of petals on the bottom of the pericarp. On average, a mangosteen has 5 aril segments (round up figure). The plant does not start producing fruit until around 15 years old, which is somewhat an impediment to cultivation.

Several commercial mangosteen juices are on the public market, primarily in the United States and Canada. The multi-level marketing company XanGo markets a mangosteen juice blend in the US.

Legend, geographic origins and culinary applications

There is a story, possibly apocryphal, about Queen Victoria offering a cash reward to anyone who could deliver to her the fabled fruit. Although available in cans and frozen, mangosteens are rarely sold fresh in Western countries except in some Asian grocery stores.

Without fumigation or irradiation as whole fruit, mangosteens are illegal for importation in commercial volumes into the United States due to fears that they harbor the Asian fruit fly which would endanger US crops. Private small volume orders from fruits grown on Puerto Rico, however, are being filled for American gourmet restaurants who serve the aril pieces as a delicacy dessert.[2]

In the future, new irradiation techniques may allow importation of this delicacy. Products derived from the mangosteen are legally imported into the United States, such as juices, freeze-dried fruit and nutritional supplements. The fresh fruit is also available in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Chinatowns of Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Mangosteen is cultivated and sold on some Hawaiian islands, although presently not exported to the continental United States where it is banned as an insect host. However, Hawaiian growers are working with a Honolulu irradiation facility for future export to the United States mainland. Mangosteen is grown in Central Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo where it is a popular delicacy. An ultra-tropical tree, the mangosteen must be grown in consistently warm conditions, as exposure to temperatures below 40°F (4°C) will generally kill a mature plant.

Before ripening, the mangosteen shell is fibrous and firm, but becomes soft and easy to pry open when the fruit ripens. To open a mangosteen, the shell is usually broken apart by scoring it with a knife; one holds the fruit in both hands, prying gently with the thumbs until the rind cracks. It is then easy to pull the halves apart along the crack and remove the fruit, taking care with the purple, inky exocarp juice containing pigments that are an avid dye on skin and fabric.

Nutrient content and antioxidant strength

Since 2004, mangosteen has been included among an emerging category of novel functional foods sometimes called "superfruits"[3] presumed to have a combination of 1) appealing subjective qualities, such as taste, fragrance and visual appeal, 2) nutrient richness, 3) antioxidant strength and 4) potential impact for lowering risk against human diseases[4].

When analyzed specifically for its edible aril, however, mangosteen meets only the first criterion above, as its overall nutrient profile is absent of important content, it contains no pigmentation (correspondingly, no antioxidant phytochemicals in significant concentration) and there is no evidence of aril constituents having any health properties [5].

Should purée or juice from the arils be infused with exocarp phenolic extracts, mangosteen juice adopts the purple color and astringency of its exocarp pigments, so must be balanced for taste with sweeteners possibly requiring juices from other fruits.

See also

• Mangostin - one of the xanthones in the Mangosteen.

References

• Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases, Garcinia mangostana L., Clusiaceae
• Five Decades with Tropical Fruit, A Personal Journey (2001) by William Francis Whitman
• MontosoGardens.com - Garcinia mangostana (Clusi aceae)
• Morton, J. 1987. Mangosteen. p. 301–304. In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL.
• Mangosteen.com
• ProSciTech.com.au - Mangosteens
• Mayo Clinic report on mangosteen
• "Forbidden? Not the Mangosteen" - NYTimes
• "Forbidden? Not the Mangosteen" - NYTimes - this one does not require free membership as of Jan 13, 2007.