Health Queen of the Tropics

For its healing properties, mangosteen is now being processed into a drink

Man has found ways to fly to the moon and explore the deepest oceans, but one thing he has never been able to do is hold the hands of time. And so the year is now at an end, but before 2010 begins let me wish all readers, and especially fellow plant lovers, a happy and fruitful new year and decade. Life has its ups and downs, but may your troubles all be small ones and your life be filled with blessings more than tribulations in the year and decade to come.

GOOD: Dubbed as the ‘queen of tropical fruits’, the mangosteen has long been known for its medicinal properties.

Food in the Future, an exhibition of food products held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre recently, was a real eye opener as to what is in store for consumers of the future. No more cooking, all you have to do is open a pouch and presto, you have cooked rice topped with your favourite curry or stir-fried meat and vegetables. And no heating is necessary either.

The ready-to-eat meals are produced by the Quartermaster Department of the Royal Thai Army as rations for soldiers in the field where organised food facilities are not available, but it may not take long before busy housewives can avail their families of the same nutritious, packaged cooked meals. In all, there are 27 dishes to choose from, including recipes from all regions of Thailand. A universal favourite among the troops, according to the young soldier manning the booth, is canned beef with garlic and pepper, which the department produces in its own canning factory in Pak Chong.

But what's probably more exciting is how enterprising Thai manufacturers have learned to process mangosteen into a health drink. Mangosteen is one of Chanthaburi's leading fruit crops, but when in season it only sells for 10 baht a kilogramme. It is perishable and lasts only a few days; if its skin hardens it can no longer be eaten and thus has to be thrown away. Great care in harvesting so that it is not bruised, and cold storage, however, prolong the life of the fruit, making export to Hong Kong, Japan and various parts of Europe possible.

Dubbed the "queen of tropical fruits", the mangosteen has long been known for its medicinal properties. The pulp itself is rich in protein, carbohydrate, fibre, calcium, phosphorus, iron, niacin and vitamins C, B1 and B2, but its medicinal value comes from the tannin in its shiny purple skin. Tannin helps heal wounds, skin infections and diarrhoea.

It also has an anti-bacterial property and is used in the cosmetics industry as it eliminates body odour and blemishes caused by acne. The mesocarp, or the inner rind of the skin, and the seed of the mangosteen has been found to be packed with 43 types of xanthones, powerful anti-oxidants that reduce the risk of heart disease and colon cancer, and cure many ailments including diabetes, arthritis, diarrhoea, dermatitis, eczema, urinary tract disorders, fever and menstrual problems.

DRINK UP: With Thai entrepreneurs now processing mangosteen into a health drink, growers are assured of more markets for their crops so their efforts are not wasted.

Vechchagorn Gorbgoonchai, sales and marketing director of Intouchtanagorn Ltd, said that the company began processing mangosteen into a health drink three years ago, using both the pulp, seed and the inner rind. What excites me is not just the health benefits that such a drink could give, but also the fact that the more entrepreneurs process the fruit into a health drink, the more growers can have markets for their crops so that their efforts are not wasted.

Known by its scientific name Garcinia mangostana, the mangosteen is native to the Malay Peninsula but Thailand is the biggest producer in Southeast Asia, with plantations mostly found in Chanthaburi, followed by Chumphon and Nakhon Si Thammarat, and to a lesser degree, Trat, Narathiwat and Ranong.

Mangosteen is not for the average gardener. For satisfactory growth it prefers deep clay loam or silt loam with good drainage, and an environment which is neither too dry nor too wet. It thrives where there is an annual rainfall of above 1,270mm and the temperature is in the range of 25 to 35 degrees Celcius, with a relative humidity of at least 80%. A shade provided by other trees is also necessary. Grown from seed, it takes 10 to 12 years for the mangosteen to be productive.