Nutritional content of Baobab powder.

Six times more vitamin C than oranges, twice as much calcium as milk

 

• Makes a great milk substitute
• Great when added to smoothies
• Great for sprinkling and adding to cereals (Corn meal porridge, Oats porridge  etc..)
• Makes a great nutritious and refreshing drink.
• Great ingredient in baking, acts as a rising agent.

Calcium
With over 250mg/g of calcium baobab powder contains twice as much calcium as milk. Baobab is the richest known plant source of calcium. Calcium is vital in the building and maintaining of bones and teeth. Calcium helps prevent Brittle Bone Disease (Osteoporosis).


Iron
Baobab powder is a rich source of iron, containing 3.6mg/100g. This is more than foods traditionally recommended for their high iron content such as lentils, spinach  and red meat. Iron makes up an important part of hemoglobin, a substance in blood that carries oxygen throughout the body. Iron also carries oxygen in muscles, helping them function properly. Iron helps increase resistance to stress and disease.

Potassium
2120mg/100g of potassium is contained in baobab powder,which is almost six times higher than banana, which is frequently recommended by nutritionists due to its high potassium content.Potassium is an important mineral for a healthy body, it's very good for the nervous system, brain and muscle function.

Magnesium
Dried baobab powder is a rich source of magnesium, containing 144.5mg/g. Magnesium is linked to heart health, bone health and the lowering of high blood pressure.

Antioxidants
The ORAC (Radical Absorbance Capacity) baobab powder is measured at a value of over 650/g which is a antioxidant level more than twice that of Goji berries, and more than six times that of blackberries, blueberries and cranberries. Antioxidants helps the body rid itself of free radicals, which if not tackled causes a lot of harm to the body.

Vitamin C
At 100mg/100g baobab powder contains six times more vitamin C than oranges.Vitamin C is water soluble and an antioxidant vitamin and cannot be stored in the body.It is excreted regularly, so you have to supply it regularly to the body.Vitamin C is useful for healthy gums to help in the protection against infections.It also strengthens many parts of the body such as blood vessels and muscles.

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Baobab obtained novel foods approval

Baobab - newest kid on the novel foods block

By Stephen Daniells, 01-Jul-2008

Africa farmers could be set to tap into a billion dollar industry with baobab, as the baobab fruit pulp obtained novel foods approval yesterday, FoodNavigator.com can report.

The news could see a rush in demand for thus novel fruit, which has been building since initial reports a couple of years. "We do anticipate a rising level of demand for baobab," Dr Lucy Welford from PhytoTrade Africa, the southern Africa natural products trade association that represents companies wishing to export their dried baobab fruit, told this website.

The maximum sustainable harvesting potential of baobab could be just under one billion dollars, according to a report by Ben Bennett from the UK's Natural Resources Institute (NRI) for the Regional Trade Facilitation Programme (RTFP).

"Baobab can be offered sustainably and in very large quantities," Bennett told FoodNavigator.com.

"[The novel foods approval] is wonderful news for the thousand or so potential products that could come out of Africa," he added.

At the recent Vitafoods show in Geneva, Riaan van Breda, technical director for Afriplex, told FoodNavigator.com's sister site NutraIngredients.com that approval had arrived, but the final written confirmation was expected within two weeks. PhytoTrade Africa and South African company Afriplex have been working together to ensure the ingredient's acceptance within the European ingredients market.

That approval has now come and PhytoTrade Africa are moving to promote the potential of baobab fruit pulp in specific food applications.

"The key things that PhytoTrade wants to focus on are the opportunities in the beverage and healthy snack markets," said Welford.

Baobab is the large green or brown fruit of the Adansonia digitata, (or 'upside-down') tree, which grows primarily in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

On pollination by fruit bats, this tree produces large green or brownish fruits. Different parts of the fruit are a traditional food in these countries.

It has a long history of traditional use in Africa, but has not been commonly consumed in the EU prior to May 1997, meaning that approval must be gained under novel foods legislation before it can be used in products for the European market.

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The wheels were set in motion by PhytoTrade Africa, which submitted an application to the UK's Food Standards Agency in 2006.

Formulation characteristics

According to the novel foods application, the anticipated intake of baobab pulp from products such as smoothies and cereal bars would be around five to 10 per cent.

These levels were determined by preliminary work by Leatherhead Food International to determine the potential applications of the pulp as an ingredient in food and beverages.

LFI's work found that the optimum level for smoothie drinks was between six and eight per cent by weight fruit pulp, while cereal bars prepared by a dry mix process showed that five to ten per cent by weight of the baobab fruit pulp "produced acceptable fruit bars with good flavour and a chewy texture."

"The Leatherhead Food results clearly demonstrate that these values are acceptable for the incorporation of baobab pulp at these levels," stated the novel food approval application. "Further uses include a de-pectinated baobab fruit pulp and the use of the fruit pulp in other food products such as biscuits, confectionary, and other related food products."

"In time, we also want to devote some attention to research into baobab pulp's health giving properties, as well as developing new uses and applications," Welford told this website.

Health profile

The fruit pulp of the baobab is said to have an antioxidant activity about four times that of kiwi or apple pulp. The main nutrients include vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, pectin and citric, malic and succinic acids, while the oil also contains the vitamins A, D and E.

A study from Italian researchers last year reported that the baobab pulp had an Integral Antioxidant Capacity (IAC) 10 times that of orange pulp (Food Chemistry, Vol. 102, pp 1352-1356).

The pulp is also reported to be prebiotic and stimulate the intestinal microflora.

If successful, the application will further underline the growing popularity of exotic ingredients derived from Africa

Baobab - Pick of the supeper fruits

OUT OF AFRICA, IT’S THE PICK OF THE SUPERFRUIT

The superfruit has three times the vitimin C of an orange

By Jo Willey

A SUPERFRUIT with three times the vitamin C of an orange and twice as much calcium as milk is now available in the UK.

The baobab fruit has been revered in Africa for thousands of years for its health benefits.

Now, thanks to an EU ruling, the fruit pulp can be imported for the first time to the UK and British manufacturers are starting to produce products containing it.

The fruit of the baobab tree looks like a velvety coconut on the outside and its white, powdery pulp looks like sherbet and has a cheese-like ­texture.

It can be blended with anything and is highly nutritious and packed with antioxidants, iron and potassium.

The shell is extremely difficult to crack so it will not be available to buy as a whole fruit in Britain but will instead be used as an ingredient.

The fruit powder has a unique, tangy taste described as “caramel pear with subtle overtones of grapefruit”.

The baobab, or upside-down tree as it is also known, is cherished by African villagers who believe its spirit ­protects them. Only specially trained climbers are allowed up the tree to pick the fruit.

Gus Le Breton, chief executive of PhytoTrade Africa, the not-for-profit trade association which is the only approved baobab pulp supplier in Europe, said: “The availability of baobab is timely with attention on South Africa with the World Cup taking place. Consumers can now get hold of it directly for the first time and we expect food manufacturers to roll out their own baobab lines from smoothies to cereal bars and confectionery as they take advantage of the booming market in healthy foods.”

Products already available include baobab jam and lemonade. In addition, baobab fruit powder can be bought for use in home cooking. It is thought that other products containing baobab will become available later this year, including drinks, cereals, ice cream, yogurt and health supplements.

Baobab has not been allowed into the UK until now because legislation prevented the import of food that was not commonly consumed in the EU before 1997

The Remarkable Baobab Fruit

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