Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
29
Acerola, Cashew Apple, Cherimoya
and Pitanga
Delia B. Rodriguez-Amaya
INTRODUCTION
The tropical fruits acerola and pitanga and the pseudofruit
cashew apple have drawn considerable attention in recent
years because of their potential as raw materials for nu-
tritious, health-promoting products with unique aroma and
flavor. Cherimoya is a tropical fruit liked fresh for its excep-
tional flavor. The cashew apple, a by-product of the cashew
nut industry, has been processed in Brazil for a long time,
becoming one of the country's popular juices. Commer-
cial production and processing of acerola and pitanga has
started relatively recently. There is a great potential for mar-
ket expansion for all these four fruits, shown in Figure 29.1.
Fruit and plant characteristics
The acerola plant is an evergreen, small, compact, or
spreading tree or bushy shrub that usually grows to 1.5-2 m
high but can reach up to 5 m or more (Manica et al.,
2003; Muniz, 2008). It has fragile but thorny branches
with multiple ovate to lanceolate leaves that are glossy
green when mature and has inflorescence of two to five
small pink or red flowers with five petals. It is often cul-
tivated as an ornamental shrub in Brazil and the southern
United States.
It produces an abundance of cherry-sized fruits, which
are round to oblate, 1-3 cm in diameter, 3-16 g, with one to
several small seeds (Alves, 1996; Ctenas et al., 2000; Mu-
niz, 2008) (Fig. 29.1). The fruit is visibly three lobed, with
orange red to scarlet, thin, glossy, and easily bruised skin
(epicarp). The pulp is soft and succulent, with a pleasant
tart flavor. A review article by de Freitas et al. (2006a) listed
fruit characteristics obtained by several authors; the ranges
reported were 1.84-2.87 cm for diameter, 1.43-2.24 cm
for length, 2.65-10.85 g for weight, 2.58-3.91 for pH,
3.76
◦
−
ACEROLA
Acerola belongs to the family
Malpighiaceae.
Known for
some time by the scientific name
Malpighia glabra
L. or
Malpighia punicifolia
L
.,
recent taxonomic work has des-
ignated it as
Malpighia emarginata
DC (de Assis et al.,
2008). Its origin is uncertain, it is claimed to have origi-
nated in northern South America or Central America, or in
the West Indies. Thus it is also known as “Antilles cherry,”
“Barbados cherry,” or “West Indian cherry.” It is found in
the United States (Texas, Florida), Mexico, Cuba, Costa
Rica, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Surinam, Venezuela, and the
Caribbean (Bahamas to Trinidad). It has been successfully
introduced in Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan) and Africa
(Ghana, Ethiopia, Madagascar). Production of this fruit is
increasing worldwide, with Brazil as the principal commer-
cial producer. The major importing countries are the United
States, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, and France.
14.10
◦
Brix for total soluble solids, and 0.53-2.27%
for titratable acidity.
Usually propagated by seeds, high variability in acerola
fruit properties and composition has been observed (Alves,
1996; Cavalcante et al., 2007). Selection of acerola geno-
types to obtain plants that have high productivity, producing
fruits with uniform physical and chemical characteristics,
especially high levels of vitamin C and desirable flavor,
has been pursued (Carpentieri-Pıpolo et al., 2002; de Paiva,
2003; Musser et al., 2005). For many years, the same com-
mon acerola (unspecified variety) was cultivated in Brazil.
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