Wednesday, September 12, 2007 Mangosteen: Queen of tropical fruits By Henrylito D. Tacio
SINCE the days when early voyagers returned to Europe with more or less fabulous stories of the wonders of the East, the mangosteen has received unstinted praise.
Some accolades include "Queen of tropical fruits," "the finest fruit in the world," and "by far the most delicious among all fruits of the Indies."
The fruit is eaten fresh. It is also well liked in its processed form of jam, pastille, and candy. The rind, or the entire fruit dried, is used medicinally by some people. It contains tannin and a substance known as mangostin.
Strangely enough, despite being touted as one of the world's best favored fruits, mangosteen remains to this day extremely limited in its distribution, and known only to the favored few who have lived or traveled in tropical countries.
"Mangosteen culture has been attempted in many humid, lowland tropical areas," reports 'Underexploited Tropical Plants with Promising Economic Value,' published by the US National Academy of Sciences. "However, because of horticultural difficulties no widespread commercial production has been successful."
Mangosteen is highly esteemed in Southeast Asia. In other tropical areas, it is known only in botanical gardens and small experimental orchards. It is unavailable in what could be its major markets: Central America, South America, Australia, and Africa, "where mangosteen would be readily accepted if it could be economically produced."
According to fruit experts, mangosteen grows in high rainfall areas - over 2,500 millimeters per year.
In the Philippines, the fruit adopts to elevation of up to 600 meters above sea level. "The ideal temperature is from 25 degrees to 35 degrees Centigrade," informs the 'SMIARC Technoguide," a publication of Southern Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center of the Department of Agriculture.
The fruit is grown mainly in Mindanao. "The inadequacy of supply remains the single biggest constraint for the expanded consumption of mangosteen in the Philippines," said the technoguide.
There is only one variety available. Mangosteen seeds reproduce the characters only of the mother plant. "This makes the production of superior types difficult," experts claim.
