Ackees freshly picked. - USED WITH PERMISSION OF COPYRIGHT OWNER FAE ELLINGTON
THE ACKEE TREE 'Blighia sapida' comes originally from Ivory Coast and Ghana, where the tree is planted for shade and for its wood. The wood is not attacked by termites. In West Africa, the green fruits are used for soap because they contain oil. The plant was introduced to Jamaica at the end of the 18th century by Captain Bligh as food for the slaves. From Jamaica, the tree spread to other islands in the Caribbean such as Haiti, Trinidad, Cuba, the Bahamas, the Antilles, Central America, various South American countries, Florida and the Philippines.
The ackee tree is considered a beautiful tree by many with smooth grey bark that grows to 10-12 metres. The tree grows well in tropical to subtropical areas and can grow up to 900 metres above sea level. The leaves are shiny on the upper side and lightly hairy on the underside. The small bisexual and male flowers form pleasant-smelling white flower clusters seven-17 cm across. The fruit is pear-shaped with three distinct lobes, and is seven-10 cm across. The unripe fruit is green and the seed mantle is closed. When the fruit is ripe it opens spontaneously, showing its black, shiny seeds, each surrounded by a cream-coloured seed mantle. The ackee is similar to its distant relatives, the lychee, and rambutan. Normally, there are three seeds, but in a large percentage of fruits one or two of the seeds are very small or absent. The base of each aril is attached on the stalk side by a pinkish orange membrane. On ripening the fruit becomes yellow, then red. The fruit is eaten fresh, baked, boiled in milk or soup, or processed into preserves.
INFAMOUS
The fruit of the tree is rightly infamous. The seeds and the membrane at the base of the seed mantle are always poisonous. The membrane at the base should be removed. The seed mantle of unripe fruits contains the toxic constituents hypoglycin A and B. It is a water-soluble liver toxin.
Most cases of poisoning do in fact occur in young children (two-six years). Uninformed young children may accidentally eat unripe fruits. It is thus chiefly in the paediatric department that problems are seen. Some cases of poisoning have been reportedly caused by the consumption of water in which ackee fruit has been cooked, that is reused in the kitchen.
Ackee poisoning produces nausea and acute vomiting without diarrhoea, followed by dizziness, slight fever, convulsions, coma, and death in malnourished persons. There is extreme hypoglycaemia which can be corrected by IV glucose. The symptoms begin two to three hours after the meal, although the incubation time is sometimes shorter. The patient has intense thirst, pronounced sweating, headache, and general weakness. A child may become confused or stuporous.
ALL Jamaicans should be informed of the risk of the unripe ackee fruit. Eating unripe fruit and reusing water in which ackees have been cooked in the kitchen, must be avoided. Ackees reaped in its correct maturity stage are safe for processing and eating.
