BaobabTek - Your natural ingredients supplier - Scientific Facts on baobab, adansonia digitata

ALIMENTARY FIBER 42.71 %

Soluble	Insoluble
21.67 %	21.04 %

CARBOHYDRATE expressed in mg on 100 g of naturally dried product

Glucose	8,47 mg/100 g
Fructose	17,93 mg/100 g
Sucrose	10,21 mg/100 g
Maltose	ND
Soluble Polysaccharides	10,21 mg/100 g
Starch	48,10 mg/100 g

MINERALS expressed in mg on 100 g of naturally dried product

Calcium	293 mg/100 g
	300 mg/100 g
Phosphorus	96 mg/100 g
	143 mg/100 g
	210 mg/100 g
Iron	7 mg/100 g
Potassium	2,31 mg/100 g
Sodium	1,86 mg/100 g
Magnesium	0,10 mg/100 g
Zinc	0,064 mg/100 g
Manganese	2,07 mg/100 g

VITAMINS expressed in mg on 100 g of naturally dried product

Carotens Total (vitamin A)	200 mcg / 100 g
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)	0,038 mg/100 g
Vitamin B2 (riboflavine)	0,06 mg/100 g
Vitamin B6 (pyridossine)	2,13 mg/100 g
Vitamin PP (Niacine)	2,16 mg/100g
Vitamin C	from 169 to 500 mg/100 g

OTHER

Cellulose	1,5 %
Ash	1.98 %
Energetic Value	200 kcal/100 g
Energetic Value	836 KJ/100 g

The pulp of a ripe fruit is dehydrated with a whitish powdery appearance and a slightly sourish taste. The pulp is divided into small floury agglomerates which enclose manifold seeds (hence bu-hibab). The Pulp extraction requires a Mechanic Process. The pulp is 8-12 % of total fruit weight.

In traditional medicine the pulp finds use as febrifuge, painkiller, antidiarrhoeal/antidysenteric drug and in treatment of smallpox and measles. Moreover, the pulp together with the seeds and bark is commonly used as antidote against poisoning from strophanthin thanks to the presence of an alkaloid: adansonine. By virtue of the lubricating, binding and diluting properties related to the presence of pectin and glucides, Baobab pulp has recently been used as hydrophilic matrix in pharmaceutical formulations of paracetamol and theophylline sustained-release tablets. The pulp is considered a radical treatment for infantile diarrhea.

The Baobab fruit pulp has a high concentration of vitamin C varying between 2500 and 3000 mg/kg. The trees were tested for content of vitamin C in Mali in 1994 and those values have been reconfirmed in 1997 and 1998 studies.

BAOBAB FRUIT PULP - NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES

100 g of Baobab fruit bulb contains 75.6% total glucides, 2.3% protein and a very low content of lipids, equal to 0.27% of total lipids. The Baobab fruit is known for its high content of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). In particular, the pulp can provide up to 300 mg of vitamin per 100 g, a quantity equal to about six times that contained in an orange. Ascorbic acid plays an extremely important role from both a nutritional and therapeutic point of view. For a long time known for its ability to prevent scurvy, vitamin C finds more and more significant use, because of its antioxidant properties and its ability to protect the organism against harm induced by free radicals. The fruit also contains appreciable quantities of other essential vitamins, such as thiamine (vitamin B1) and riboflavin (vitamin B2), essential for optimal development of the organism and for maintaining cellular integrity of the nerves, skin and ocular epithelia, and niacin (vitamin PP or B3), important to regulate many metabolic functions.

Furthermore, the fruit contributes to the injection of some essential minerals and fatty essential acids. In fact, 100 g of pulp contains on average 293 mg of calcium, 2.31 mg of potassium, 96-118 mg of phosphor and alpha-linolenic acid (27 mg of acid per gram of dry product). The characteristic sourish taste of the pulp is due to the presence of organic acids, such as citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid and succinic acid. Owing to the nutritional properties described above, when soaking the fruit pulp in water, a thirst-quenching, refreshing and nutritious drink is obtained.

BAOBAB FRUIT PULP - DIETARY FIBERS

Baobab fruit pulp supplies a quantity of soluble (22.54%) and insoluble (22.04%) fibres which can reach up to about 45 grams per 100 grams of product. Dietary fibre has by now been established as an important component of our diet, as it can affect manifold aspects of the digestive physiology. Frequent consumption of dietary fibre associated with a diet rich in vegetables, cereals and fruit has been related to a reduction of the risk of onset of neoplasia of the digestive system, in particular colon-rectal cancer. The intake of dietary fibres by the Italian population is on average 21 g/day (of which about 1/3 soluble) with variations ranging between 18 g/day in the northern regions and 22 g/day in the central-southern regions. The ideal level of dietary fibre intake has not been defined, but it is now commonly accepted that fibres are an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet. A diet of foods rich in fibres has also been related to a reduction in the risk of developing various organic disorders, such as constipation and overweight. Insoluble fibres are not assimilated by the intestine and improve the intestinal passage thanks to their ability to increase the faecal mass and stimulate peristalsis. They are mainly used to combat constipation and induce a sense of fullness, which can be exploited in a low-calorie diet. Moreover, Baobab fruit pulp due to its high fibre content (soluble and insoluble) would appear to have interesting properties, at least in vitro, for stimulating growth of bacterial cultures of the intestinal microflora.

The studies carried out on the soluble fibres contained in Baobab fruit pulp, allow hypothesizing their use as prebiotic, i.e. an indigestible dietary ingredient which on the level of the large intestine selectively stimulates the growth and/or metabolic activity of a limited number of microbic groups, important for maintaining the various functions of the human organism. Studies carried out highlight that the water-soluble fraction of the fruit pulp has stimulating effects on the growth of lactobacilli and bifidumbacteria, such as:

Bifidobacterium bifidum A3,
Bifidobacterium longum type,
Bifidobacterium infantis type,
Bifidobacterium bifidum B16.

The functional prebiotic activity of the bacteria determines:

• Improvement of the intestinal microflora balance;
• Improvement of lactose digestion;
• Prevention of diarrhoea;
• Immunostimulating activity.

BAOBAB FRUIT PULP - NUTRACEUTICAL PROPERTIES

Anti-inflammatory, painkilling and febrifugal properties

Studies were carried out in the laboratory with the aim of analysing the biological activity of the aqueous lyophilised extract of Baobab fruit pulp. The studies conducted showed that doses between 400 and 800 mg/kg determine a marked anti-inflammatory effect and are able to reduce inflammation induced in the limb with formalin. The effect is comparable with that expounded when using a dose of phenylbutazone of 15 mg/kg used as standard. This activity may be attributed to the presence of sterols, saponins and triterpenes in the aqueous extract. Administration of 800 mg/kg of extract to mice also showed the appearance of a painkilling and febrifugal activity comparable with use of 50 mg/kg of acetylsalicylic acid taken orally. These results justify the widespread use of this plant in popular medicine as painkiller and febrifuge.

Antidiarrheal properties

The typical diet of indigenous African populations, in particular children, is characterised by a low-calorie, low-protein vegetable and floury diet, lacking milk, and may potentially lead to rickets and cause organic disorders such as diarrhoea and/or dysentery. The particularity of Baobab fruit pulp is that it is effective against diarrhoea. Appropriately used, it is able to act against this disorder so widely present in African countries. A study conducted on 160 children with an average age of about eight months, reports that an aqueous dispersion of Baobab fruit pulp has significant advantages compared to the traditional “WHO solution” (World Health Organization) used for rehydrating children suffering from diarrhoea. The important constituents for this activity seem to be the tannins (astringent), mucilage (wetting), cellulose, citric acid and other typical components in the fruit pulp. Another way the fruit pulp has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery is by preparing decoctions or soaking the pulp in milk, which is then taken orally.

Parasiticidal activity

In the state of Bauchi in Nigeria, the Dracunculus medinensis or Guinea worm is hyperendemic. A study conducted in the field of human medicine demonstrated that patients treated with Adansonia digitata applied externally felt pain relief, and that the expulsion process of Guinea worms together with healing of the sore was accelerated.

Antimycotic, antiviral and antimicrobic activity

In a study conducted on the antimycotic activity of some medicinal plant extracts, it was highlighted that the methanol extract of Adansonia digitata performs an antifungal activity against Microsporum canis, Epidermophiton floccosum and Tricophiton rubrum. It also proved to be a source rich in substances which perform antiviral activities (Herpex simplex 1 & 2, Vesicular stomatitis and Poliovirus) and antimicrobic activities (Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus cereus and Candida albicans).

Antioxidant activity

Recent studies have shown that the leaf and the fruit of the Baobab have a marked antioxidant activity, both water-soluble and fat-soluble, preventing and combating the formation of free radicals. Download the Article published on Acta Phy., 2002, from Ambrosialab webSite.

Conclusion

In light of the properties described above, the numerous potential uses of this plant is intuitive. From the nutritional viewpoint, the pulp may represent a beneficial dietary supplement as energy contribution, in particular from glucides, and vitamin contribution (mainly vitamin C and provitamin A), as well as a considerable quantity of soluble and insoluble fibres and minerals. The leaves may be an excellent source of mineral salts, especially calcium, phosphor and iron, amino acids and provitamin A. Regarding the pharmacological aspect of the plant, there are aspects of considerable interest which require further trials on man, in order to confirm the properties extolled by traditional medicine.

The Baobab products do not pretend to be a miraculous panacea, but can simply contribute - as attested by the research conducted so far and the use going back thousands of years – to rebalancing and restoring the main functions of the organism and the epidermis, offering well-being and energy. Only 5 g a day are beneficial to maintain the state of well-being of the organism, since it increases the resistance to viruses (such as flu and herpes), regularizes the intestine, glycaemia and the blood cholesterol values, gives strength, energy and resistance, rebalances mood swings, alleviates menstrual pains, and is anti-anaemic, febrifugal and anti-inflammatory. Its beneficial properties may also be applied to obtain a healthy skin and to tackle the effects of premature ageing by virtue of the antioxidant, softening, smoothing and elasticising properties.

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