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Jamaican Ackee
Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica and is borne in
clusters on an evergreen tree. Its name is derived from the West African Akye fufo.
The tree is not endemic to the West Indies but was introduced from West Africa during the
18th century. The plant was further named Blighia sapida in honour of Captain
William Bligh who took samples to Kew in 1793. Ackee trees are found across the
island of Jamaica but the main producing areas are located in Clarendon and St Elizabeth.
There are two bearing seasons: between January to March and June to August. |
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The fruit turns red on reaching maturity and splits open with continued exposure to the sun.
Traditionally it is at this time that the ackees are harvested and the arilli removed and
cleaned in preparation for cooking. This delicacy is enjoyed by many at breakfast or as an
entree. The canned product is exported to ethnic markets worldwide and continues to be
enjoyed by both visitors to the island and Jamaicans residing overseas. |
| Consumers of the unripe fruit sometimes suffer from 'Jamaican vomiting sickness
syndrome' (JVS) allegedly caused by the unusual amino acid components, hypoglycin A and B. In this regard it is recognised that
the nutritional status of the consumer is important since diagnosed patients generally
show manifestations of chronic malnutrition and vitamin deficiency. Although JVS has
resulted in some fatalities in the past with symptoms including vomiting and severe
hypoglcaemia, nowadays such incidences are rare with the increased awareness of the
necessity for consuming only ripe, opened ackees. |
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Levels of hypoglycin A in the ackee arilli peak at maturity but rapidly diminish to
non-detectable levels in the opened fruit making it safe for consumption.
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Recent studies [1] done in the Biochemistry Department at UWI, Mona
on the fatty acid composition of the arilli from ackee have found that 51-58% of the
arillus dry weight consists of lipids. Linoleic, palmitic and stearic acids were the major
fatty acids observed with linoleic accounting for over 55% of the total fatty acids. These
results show that the purified oil from ackee has high
nutritive value and makes an important contribution to the fatty acid intake of many
Jamaicans. |
An IR spectrum of ackee oil is available in
JCAMP-DX file format.
References
Odutuga, A.A., Asemoto, H.N., Musac, I., Golden, K.D., and Kean, E.A, Jamaican Journal
of Science and Technology, 1992, 3, 30-32.
Return to links to the chemistry of other Jamaican items,
including spices and fruit and vegetables.
Copyright © 1995 by Robert John Lancashire, all rights reserved.
Created and maintained by Dr. Robert J. Lancashire,
The Department of Chemistry, University of the West Indies,
Mona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica.
Created Feb 1995. Last modified 25th November 1999.
URL http://wwwchem.uwimona.edu.jm:1104/lectures/ackee.html