Manilkara sapota chiku rare exotic sweet fruit good to eat edible seed 10 SEEDS Manilkara sapota chiku rare exotic sweet fruit good to eat edible seed 10 SEEDS Manilkara zapota, commonly known as the Sapodilla, is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. It is grown in huge quantities in India, Mexico and was introduced to the Philippines during Spanish colonisation. FLAVOR: The flavor is exceptionally sweet and very tasty, with what can be described as a malty flavor. Many believe the flavor bears a striking resemblance to caramel. The unripe fruit is hard to the touch and contains high amounts of saponin, which has astringent properties similar to tannin, drying out the mouth, tender fleshed, eugenol-scented, and a flavor reminiscent of pears and brown sugar, this "ancient" fruit is a welcome addition to any healthy diet. HEALTH: it's multifunctional and biologically active chemicals are its carotenoids, phenolic compounds, vitamins, and minerals. It antioxidants are: Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), beta- carotene, tannin,quercetin, isoquercetin, and selenium. A study conducted by Kulkarni and his colleagues showed that sapodilla juice inhibited the activities of superoxide radicals. Superoxide radicals are highly reactive compounds produced when oxygen is reduced by a single electron. In living organisms including humans, they are produced during normal metabolic processes mediated by enzymes and during the oxidation of hemoglobin to methemoglobin. The enzyme superoxide dismutase protects cells from the harmful effects of superoxide. Kulkarni's investigation was published in the 2006 issue of the Journal of Food Biochemistry.