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Jackfruit: A Healthy Meat Substitute

The jackfruit comes from Asia and because of its consistency, it can be used as a meat substitute, especially as a chicken meat substitute. We explain how to prepare the jackfruit, its nutritional values, and its health effects.

The mulberry family, jackfruit

The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) is also called jackfruit. The tropical giant fruit is a member of the mulberry family and is native to India, where it is a staple food in places. However, jackfruit is now cultivated in all tropical regions of the world. The main producing countries are still India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.

The name Jack was derived from the Malay “chakka”, which simply means “round” and refers to the shape of the fruit. The jackfruit is not spherical, but rather oval.

The jackfruit is the largest tree fruit in the world

It is also an extremely large and heavy fruit, in fact, the largest tree fruit in the world. The jackfruit can grow up to 1 m long and weigh around 20 kg. Even claims of up to 50 kg per fruit are circulating on the internet.

It takes about 180 days for the jackfruit to reach this size and ripen. Since hardly any branch could bear the enormous weight, it grows directly on the trunk. A tree bears up to 30 fruits.

Another distinctive feature of the jackfruit is its knobbed skin. It changes from green to yellowish during the ripening process. As is usual with many fruits, you can tell the degree of ripeness of the jackfruit not only by the color but also by the smell: the fruitier it smells, the riper it is.

Almost any meat dish can be imitated with the pulp of the unripe jackfruit – whether meatballs, goulash, fricassee, meat sauces for pasta, or fillings for burgers, tacos, or pancakes. That is why it is now also offered in our latitudes (pre-cooked in cans or vacuum-packed) and prepared.

This is what jackfruit tastes like

The giant fruit tastes sweet when ripe and is suitable as a delicious breakfast or dessert. Its taste is reminiscent of a mixture of banana and pineapple with a honey-vanilla aroma. A note of mango is also often mentioned. When unripe, the jackfruit has almost no flavor and therefore takes on the flavor of the spices, marinades, and sauces with which it is prepared.

The name Jack was derived from the Malay “chakka”, which simply means “round” and refers to the shape of the fruit. The jackfruit is not spherical, but rather oval.

The jackfruit is the largest tree fruit in the world

It is also an extremely large and heavy fruit, in fact, the largest tree fruit in the world. The jackfruit can grow up to 1 m long and weigh around 20 kg. Even claims of up to 50 kg per fruit are circulating on the internet.

It takes about 180 days for the jackfruit to reach this size and ripen. Since hardly any branch could bear the enormous weight, it grows directly on the trunk. A tree bears up to 30 fruits.

Another distinctive feature of the jackfruit is its knobbed skin. It changes from green to yellowish during the ripening process. As is usual with many fruits, you can tell the degree of ripeness of the jackfruit not only by the color but also by the smell: the fruitier it smells, the riper it is.

Almost any meat dish can be imitated with the pulp of the unripe jackfruit – whether meatballs, goulash, fricassee, meat sauces for pasta, or fillings for burgers, tacos, or pancakes. That is why it is now also offered in our latitudes (pre-cooked in cans or vacuum-packed) and prepared.

This is what jackfruit tastes like

The giant fruit tastes sweet when ripe and is suitable as a delicious breakfast or dessert. Its taste is reminiscent of a mixture of banana and pineapple with a honey-vanilla aroma. A note of mango is also often mentioned. When unripe, the jackfruit has almost no flavor and therefore takes on the flavor of the spices, marinades, and sauces with which it is prepared.

Vitamins, minerals, and trace elements

The calcium content is quite high for fruit at 50 mg per 100 g of unripe jackfruit. An apple, for example, does not even contain 10 mg. Only oranges, blackberries, figs, and kiwis should have a similarly high calcium content as the unripe jackfruit.

The jackfruit is also interesting when it comes to iron. Unripe fruit provides almost four times the iron content of ripe jackfruit, up to 2 mg per 100 g – almost double the iron content in chicken breast and about the same amount of iron as beef.

Of course, jackfruit (like almost every fruit) also contains vitamin C – up to 14mg per 100g, while meat typically provides 0mg of vitamin C.

The calorie content of unripe jackfruit is just 50 kcal (209 kJ) per 100 g, compared to twice that of chicken meat.

Jackfruit has these health effects

The health effects and properties of jackfruit mostly relate to the ripe fruit, which is often on the menu in Asia but is only available in specialty shops in our regions.

A 2012 review looked specifically at jackfruit and its health benefits for humans. However, one concentrated exclusively on the ingredients and then concluded that the entire fruit has the same effect as the individual substance.

potassium, magnesium, and calcium

Since the fruit contains potassium, for example, and potassium is involved in regulating blood pressure, jackfruit can lower high blood pressure. Since jackfruit also contains magnesium and calcium, both minerals important for bones, it is said that the fruit strengthens bones.

Iron in jackfruit

Jackfruit also contains iron, so the review mentioned above states that the fruit is ideal for anemia.

Vitamin C

The vitamin C content led the researchers to write that jackfruit has anti-aging and overall antioxidant properties. The vitamin C content of the jackfruit is not even that high but is just 7 to 14 mg per 100 g. Other fruits like oranges, kiwis, and strawberries contain around 50 mg of vitamin C.

Fiber

The fiber content is what prompts jackfruit to be labeled as good for digestion, although other fruits contain at least as much, if not more, fiber. A ripe apple, for example, provides twice as much fiber, and a ripe pear three times as much.

Copper

And because jackfruit is high in copper, it’s said to promote thyroid health because copper—like iodine and selenium—is needed for the production of thyroid hormones. As a source of copper, jackfruit is indeed interesting. It contains around 1400 µg of copper (if there is no error in measurement) and thus significantly more than other fruits, which usually provide between 50 and 200 µg of copper.

Antiviral plant compound jacalin

The jackfruit also contains a lectin called jacalin, which is said to have antiviral properties. In in-vitro studies, lectin was shown to be effective against HI viruses and herpes viruses (shingles). However, it is doubtful whether just eating the jackfruit has similar effects, since the corresponding studies usually use high-dose individual substances, but the fruit contains much lower doses.

Carotenoids

Jackfruit also contains carotenoids, the most important of which are lutein and beta-carotene. Since these studies show that it promotes heart health, is important for the eyes, and can also prevent some forms of cancer, jackfruit is recommended for all these indications.

The jackfruit as a cancer killer: studies are lacking

“Science Proves Jackfruit is a Powerful Cancer Killer” or something like that are the pertinent articles about jackfruit and its alleged miracle effects, which means something like Science proves that jackfruit is a powerful cancer killer. In some publications, there is even talk of “the most powerful cancer killer jackfruit”, i.e. the most powerful cancer killer called jackfruit.

But there really isn’t any real proof. There are no studies that explicitly show an anti-cancer effect of jackfruit. One tends to mention studies that are dedicated to the anti-cancer effect of plant substances that are ALSO contained in jackfruit, but of course also in other foods, such as saponins, lignans, and isoflavones.

Jackfruit as a meat substitute

Since the unripe jackfruit acquires a meat-like consistency after cooking and marinating, it is now available in Europe and in the USA prepackaged as a meat substitute, for example in the form of “shredds” for sliced ​​​​meat or in the form of cubes for goulash-like dishes Dishes. Although the pulp is pre-cooked and ready to cook, it usually has to be seasoned as desired.

How to use jackfruit as a meat substitute

In order for the remaining fruits to ripen better, some of the jackfruits are always harvested unripe (this is referred to as “squeezing out”). In their homeland, unripe jackfruit is usually prepared like a vegetable or, due to its high starch content, served as a substitute for rice. So using unripe jackfruit is perfectly normal.

A well-known traditional dish made with unripe jackfruit is gudeg from Central Java. The jackfruit is boiled in coconut milk for several hours, refined with shallots and garlic, and seasoned with ginger, coriander, lime, and palm sugar. Gudeg is served as an accompaniment to meat dishes, but also to tofu or tempeh.

Since its delicate fibrous consistency after cooking is also reminiscent of chicken (visually more like beef ragout), the jackfruit – appropriately portioned, pre-cooked, and vacuum packed – has been available for some time as a meat substitute.

The pulp breaks down very quickly when cooked or fried. If you want to get the cube shape (e.g. for a “ragout”), you can only fry the small cubes for a short time. Season vigorously, remove the cubes from the pan, and set them aside. When the sauce is ready (e.g. a creamy mushroom sauce), add the diced jackfruit to the sauce and briefly heat it there.

Organic jackfruit is better

Jackfruit is usually cultivated in monocultures. It is also rarely used in mixed cultures, e.g. B. is grown between coffee bushes on coffee plantations.

While jackfruit isn’t overly susceptible to fungal or viral diseases, there are a few pests that could threaten the crop, which is why it’s treated with insecticides in conventional cultivation. Organic jackfruit is therefore the better choice when shopping.

The ecological balance of the jackfruit

The jackfruit tree usually does not need to be watered. Only the young plants are susceptible to drying out and should be watered if necessary (when there are long dry periods). This can be the case in the first 3 years of the plant’s life since the root system is not fully developed in this period. Later, the tree generally does not need to be watered. For comparison: avocados or bananas always need 1000 to 2000 l of water per kg of fruit.

However, since the jackfruit comes from the tropics, its ecological balance is not ideal, if only because of the long transport route. From an ecological point of view, soy or lupine products made from local raw materials are therefore much better suited as a regular meat substitute. For a change, however, you can certainly always fall back on the jackfruit – especially since no genetic engineering has been used in its breeding so far, which is known to always pose a risk with soybeans.

Even if meat substitute products made from soy or other raw materials are repeatedly criticized, they are definitely healthier than meat if you buy them in health food stores.

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Written by Micah Stanley

Hi, I'm Micah. I am a creative Expert Freelance Dietitian Nutritionist with years of experience in counseling, recipe creation, nutrition, and content writing, product development.

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