Processing Breadfruit

Carlos J. Andam

Abstract

Breadfruit, locally known as rimas, is a highly versatile tree species whose fruits are widely consumed as a vegetable. The mature fruit is boiled, mixed with grated coconut and eaten as a vegetable dish. The breadfruit trunk is a good source of dark colored lumber while the gum-like coagulate from the milky breadfruit sap is used as a waterproofing sealant for boats. The tree also has a wide array of medicinal properties (i.e. its use as an indigenous cure for dysentery). This article reports on the use of a multi-commodity solar tunnel dryer at the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Modernization by a group from the Marinduque State College for drying breadfruit to produce flour. Mixed with all-purpose flour, the dried breadfruit was successfully made into pastries such as cupcakes, pulvoron, cookies and muffins. The versatility of this plant, its hardiness and its biannual fruit bearing (from May to August and November to January) make it ideal for large-scale production. Furthermore, the fruits are seedless, so the plant can easily be propagated asexually by root cuttings.