Pulasan Fruit, Benefits and Uses for Health!
Kapusan is the closest relative of the rambutan. Both belong to the lerak-lerakan tribe. Kapusan fruit, as a characteristic of this type, at first glance looks like rambutan but tastes sour and the seeds cannot be separated. Kapulas can not cross with rambutan
It grows mostly in lowland forests around Perak. The name of the fruit itself indicates a twist. Sleep is a twist in the Malay language. So the fruit is opened by twisting the fruit with both hands. The same is done with the Rambutan fruit to open.
There are two varieties in this fruit. One is dark red and the other is pink. Sweeter than rambutan. Its Latin name is Nephelium Mutabile, but there are at least 30 other wild species of Nephelium whose fruit is edible.
Although they are native to western Malaysia, they are found thriving in the Philippines at low elevations from Luzon to Mindanao. In 1926, it was planted in Puerto Rico and later also in Costa Rica. It was recently introduced in the Indian state of Kerala.
Review Fruit
Pulasan fruit is harvested twice a year. The tree’s flowering season is from March-May and August-October. After flowering, the fruit begins to ripen within 15-18 weeks. It takes 100-130 days to ripen, in the warm tropics. The first season bears fruit from July-November and the next from March-July. Fruits are harvested in bunches when most of them turn yellow or red.
The tree can grow to a height of 15m. The stems grow to about 16 inches in diameter. it is an ultra-tropical fruit and thrives only in very humid areas between 360 -1150 feet elevation. In the Malaya region, the tree bears fruit best after a long dry season.
The fruit grows in groups of 3-5. slightly oval in shape and 2-3 inches long. The outer skin of the fruit has soft spines that are pointed but not so sharp. The flesh of the fruit is white or yellowish and translucent. The edible portion is juicy, sweet and aromatic and tastes like sweet wine. It contains a single seed that has the size and shape of an almond. It is very easy to separate the seeds from the flesh.
Pulasan is often confused with rambutan because it is very close to it. The skin is thicker and coarser than Rambutan. Other fruits in the same family are Fijian Longan, Longan and Lychee. Pulasan fruit is also known by the name rambutan beak, rambutan-kafri or dizziness-ramboetan. In the Philippines it is called Bulala and Ngoh-khonsan in Thai.
Benefits and Uses of Pulasan fruit for health:
- Fresh ripe fruit eaten raw. The flesh is slightly juicy and sweet. The seeds are edible and taste like almonds.
- Pulasan can be frozen or dried and used to flavor ice cream and puddings. It can also be made into sweets, jams, jellies and sauces.
- Gourmet restaurants use Pulasan for their entrees and sauces.
- It has recently been used in tropical juice blends.
- The savory flesh has a sweet taste like wine. Used to make jam.
- Drinks such as cocoa are made from boiled or roasted beans.
- Reduce body fat. So good for people who are obese.
- It makes skin softer and is good for use in hair care.
- Diabetics can eat this fruit.
- The leaves and roots of the Pulasan tree are used for poultice.
- A decoction of the roots is given as a febrifuge and vermifuge. The roots are boiled with Gleichenia linearis, and the decoction is used to bathe patients with fever.
- Nutritional value per 100g of fruit: Protein content 0.82g, Calcium 0.05mg, Carbohydrates – 16.8g, Fat -0.6g, Iron – 0.002mg, Vitamin C – 10.8mg, Ash content 0.45g and water content is around 90, 87%.
- The wood is pink, harder and heavier than Rambutan. These are of excellent quality but are rarely available.
- The seeds are dried and these seeds yield 74.9% solid white fat, which melts at about 104 -107.6º F (40º- 42º C). The oil is slightly fragrant and can be used to make soap.