Health Benefits of Sapodilla (Chiku), Uses And Its Side Effects

Sapodilla or sapota (chiku) is a tropical fruit belonging to the Sapotaceae family. It is a grey-brown pulpy fruit with a grainy texture & sweet taste. Only the ripe fruit is edible. The fruit is hard and produces saponin when unripe, but softens as it ripens up.

Sapodilla (Chiku) grows on evergreen trees that survive only in hot or warm climates. Flowering continues throughout the year, but the yield of fruits occurs twice a year.

Sapodilla is a high calorie fruit, with each 100gm yielding about 83Kcal in terms of energy. It contains about 20gm of carbohydrates, very low fat and zero cholesterol. It contains high amounts of dietary fiber content, about 5gm per 100gm of fruit.

Sapodilla also contains significant amounts of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and other vitamins like niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, etc. It also contains large quantities of iron, copper, and calcium, along with magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc.

Sapodilla is a tropical pulpy fruit like mango, and the flesh can be consumed directly. Also, like any other fruit, it makes a great addition to fruit salad, milk shakes, and even ice creams and other confectionaries.

Other than consumption, the sapodilla fruit used for when unripe secretes a gummy latex-like substance called chicle, which used to be used in chewing gum, so much so, that the colloquial ‘chiclet’ for chewing gums was derived from ‘chicle’. A paste of the sapodilla fruit seeds is used in some cultures as an antidote for the mildly venomous sting and bites. The wood is used as timber.

Sapodilla has few side effects. Overconsumption may lead to digestive problems. Tannin is an astringent and may cause unpleasant itchy sensations in the mouth, especially if raw Sapodilla (Chiku) is consumed.

Consumption of raw fruits may lead to another sapodilla fruit side effects which is irritation and inflammation of the throat causing breathing troubles, especially in children. Chiku seeds are hard and hooked, and their ingestion may cause abdominal pains and vomiting.

Sapodilla (Chiku) is said to have originated in the rainforests of Central America, possibly in Mexico, Belize, and northeastern Guatemala. During early colonial times, it was carried over to the Philippines, and today, the cultivation of Sapodilla has spread all over the tropical belt and is grown in India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka as a major commercial crop.