Mammee Apple scientifically known as Mammea Americana is actually a native of West Indies –Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Haiti, and the lesser Antilles. It is an Evergreen, medium-sized tree belonging to the family Clusiaceae ⁄ Guttiferae, in the genus Mammea L.Other Common name of Mammee apple includes Mammey-Apple, South American Apricot, Mamey Tree, Mammee, Marmalade Tree, Tropical Apricot, Mammee Apple, St. Domingo Apricot, Santo Domingo Apricot. In Brazil it is referred to as Abricó, Mammi in German and Albaricoque De Santo Domingo Albricoque in Spanish. Round or somewhat irregular shaped fruit is in fact a storeroom of several health promoting Nutrients, vitamins and Minerals.
Plant
Mammee Apple is an evergreen, medium-sized tree sized 18 m– 21 m (59 ft-69 ft.) tall which is found growing in tropical or near tropical moist to wet climates. It prefers full sun or light shade and does well in deep, rich, well-drained soil, but is apparently quite adjustable to even shallow, sandy terrain, and it grows naturally in limestone areas too. It has short stem which reaches 1.9 m- 1.2 m (6 ft. 3 in-3 ft. 11 in) in diameter. Leaves are simple, glabrous, coriaceous, opposite, glossy dark-green, broadly elliptic, up to 20 cm long and 10 cm wide. Flowers are fragrant, along with 4–6 white petals and orange stamens or pistils, 2.5–4 cm wide when fully open, pistillate or hermaphrodite, staminate and are found blooming from May-October.
Fruit
Mammee Apple is round or somewhat irregular fruit, with a short, thick stem, 10–20 cm across, greyish brown with a rugose, 3 mm (0.12 in) thick, leathery rind. It is actually a berry not a drupe which is 0.5-2 kg. Fruit is normally green while young turning to yellow or russet as soon as they ripe. Fruit has light brown or greyish-brown with small, scattered, warty or scurfy areas, leathery, about 3 mm thick and bitter skin, which encloses light yellow or orange, not fibrous mammee apple which smells pleasant and appetizing. Fruits normally take up to a year to mature and are ripe from July-February. Fruits consists of 1-4 brown, rough, oval and around 6 cm (2.4 in) long seeds. It has flavor which resembles like that of apricot or red raspberry and is too sour or mawkishly sweet in taste. Due to its unique taste and flavor it is found used in different types of foods items around the world.
History
Mammee Apple is native to West Indies – Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and the lesser Antilles. It is exotic to Barbados, Bahamas, Brazil, El Salvador, Colombia, Bermuda, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guatemala, Surinam, United States of America (Hawaii and Florida), French Guiana, Costa Rica, Virgin Islands (US), Guyana, Mexico, and Panama. It is of very limited occurrence in West Africa (particularly Sierra Leone), Zanzibar, southeast Asia (Java in Indonesia, Sabah in Malaysia, the Philippines), Queensland in Australia and Hawaii.
Nutritional Value
Apart from their sweet and tangy, taste Mammee apple is a good source of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Consuming 100 gram of Mammee Apple offers 14 mg of Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid), 12.5 g of Carbohydrate, 0.086 mg of Copper, 0.7 mg of Iron, 3 g of Total dietary Fiber and 0.1 mg of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine). Moreover many Amino acids like 0.005 g of Tryptophan, 0.037 g of Lysine and 0.006 g of Methionine are also found in 100 gram of this fruit.
Fruits and juices are proven to be rich in Vitamin C and help to lose fat and maintain healthy weight. Many dieticians and nutritionists recommend including Vitamin C enriched fruits and vegetables in diet charts to remain healthy and fit. Several scientific evidence shows that regular intake of Mammee Apple helps in losing weight considerably. Besides that it will help to lowers insulin level, thus instead of storing sugar and converting it to fats, it utilizes it as a fuel which results in weight loss. Mammee Apple consists of huge amount of Vitamin C 14 mg which is 15.56% of daily recommended value. Therefore, including a Mammee Apple a day to your dietary regimen can keep you fit and healthy for many years.
2. Helps Prevent Premature Aging
Copper is an essential trace mineral required for survival. It is a powerful antioxidant, which in presence of antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase to safeguard the cell membranes from free radicals. Superoxide dismutase is one of the sturdiest antioxidants that work within the body in the fight against free radicals. Free radicals may attack different organ systems, but are specially well-studied in terms of their effect on aging, which includes age spots, wrinkles, macular degeneration, susceptibility to various types of cancer, and kidney malfunctions. A single cup serving of Mammee Apple contains 100 g Copper which is 9.56% of the daily recommended intake. So consuming Mammee apple regularly may fulfill copper requirement of your body. Having enough copper in your daily diet can keep you looking younger for longer!
3. Immune System
Mammee Apple is loaded with many health endorsing Nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Among other minerals, iron plays an important role in offering strength to immune system of human body. Thus body becomes capable enough to fight against numerous diseases and infections. Red blood cells are essential for providing oxygen to damaged tissues, cells and organs. There would be no hemoglobin without iron; without hemoglobin, there would be no oxygen. The healing process needs iron to happen! Thus Iron plays an important role in providing strength to immune system of human body. Mammee Apple consists of moderate amount of Iron 0.7 mg which is 8.75% of daily recommended value.
4. Constipation
Mammee Apple contains significant amounts of Dietary fiber which helps in smooth bowel movements. It consists of moderate amount of dietary fiber 3 mg which is 7.89% of daily recommended value. Mammee apple intake helps to push out stubborn stools and relieve a person from constipation. Apart from that it helps in dealing with other intestinal disorders as well. Fiber present in mammee apple helps to bulk up stool and helps stimulate body’s peristaltic motion, which assists to move bowel movements through intestinal tract. In this way fiber present in mammee apple help to reduce unhealthy digestive problems as well as colorectal cancer.
5. Helps Relieve Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome
Consuming sufficient amount of vitamin B6 or taking B complex vitamins helps to prevents or treat PMS symptoms. Different research demonstrated that Vitamin B6 helps to fight against nausea, cramps, fatigue, breast pain and also acne which occur before Women’s menstrual cycle. Adequate amount of vitamin B6 can be obtained by regular intake of mammee apple. It helps with PMS due to its positive effects on neurotransmitters which are liable for pain management within the brain, as well as its role in increasing blood flow and managing hormones. Therefore it is suitable to consume B complex vitamins frequently, particularly the 10 days just before menstruating, for women who experience frequent PMS Symptoms.
How to Eat
Salads: Pulp from ripe fruit can be consumed plain along with dash of lime or lemon juice and sugar, or served with cream and sugar or wine, in fruit salads and many more.
Frozen sherbet: Fresh pulp, blended with sugar, is made into frozen sherbet in Dominican Republic.
Ade: The juice or syrup of stewed flesh, is seasoned along with sugar and lemon juice to make “ade”.
Jam: Pulp is steeped in salt water just before cooking with much sugar to prepare a kind of jam in Bahamas.
Jelly: Slightly under-ripe fruits, rich in pectin, are made into jelly.
Kolashanpan: Mamey flavored carbonated drink called kolashanpan is made from Mammee apple which is considered as the national soda in El Salvador.
Aromatic liqueur: Flowers are distilled to make an aromatic liqueur, Eau de Créole, or Crème de Créole in French West Indies
Pies or tarts: Sliced mamey pulp may also be cooked in pies or tarts, and may be seasoned with cinnamon or ginger.
Toddy: Wine is processed from the fruit and fermented “toddy” from the sap of the tree in Brazil.
Pulp is steeped in wine and sugar for a while prior to consumption in Jamaica.
Other Traditional uses and benefits of Mammee Apple
Mammee has been used in traditional folk medicine for problems of scalp infections, diarrhea, digestive and eye infections in Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
For parasitic skin diseases pulverized mammee seeds are used in Venezuela.
Pulverized seeds are considered as a convulsant and an infusion is used for anthelmintic infestation in adults in Brazil.
Pulverized seeds are combined with rum or coconut oil to deal with head lice and chiggers in Trinidad and Tobago.
Aromatic liqueur called Creme de Creole or Eau de Creole, which is distilled from the flowers, is used as a tonic or digestive in French West Indies.
For intermittent fever an infusion of the fresh or dry leaves is used.
Powdered mammee seeds are used against parasitic skin diseases in traditional medicines of Central and South America.
Ground seeds are stirred into hot water to get an anthelmintic infusion.
Other Facts
Large spreading lateral roots of mammy apple may help to prevent soil erosion.
It a beautiful ornamental tree and it is often planted for shade around houses, parks and along avenues because of its glossy, dark-green, leaves and dense foliage.
Wood is strong, fairly decay resistant, used for cabinetwork, rafters, pillars, decorative features of fine houses, fence posts and many more.
Tannin from the bark is used for home treatment of leather
Infusions of the pulverized seeds as well as gum of bark and green fruit rind are utilized as insecticides to kill jiggers, ticks, and fleas .
