Journal article
Exploring Variations in Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Barringtonia Nuts: A Novel Forest Food
Foods, Vol.14(12), pp.1-11
2025
PMCID: PMC12192473
PMID: 40565757
Abstract
Food security remains one of the most critical global challenges of the 21st century. Traditional tree crops domesticated by indigenous people have the potential to increase food security and improve the livelihoods of smallholders in developing countries. However, the nut characteristics of many traditional tree crop species in the tropics are poorly understood. In particular, physical and chemical characteristics are important to explore when selecting trees to commercialise. Three species, Barringtonia procera, B. edulis, and B. nova-hiberniae, have a long history of traditional use and domestication in Pacific Island countries. The aim of this study was to explore the physical and chemical characteristics of Barringtonia spp. in three Pacific countries: Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji. There were significant differences in kernel weight, oil concentration, and fatty acid concentration among the countries. The kernel weight was significantly higher in Solomon Islands compared with those in Vanuatu and Fiji (9.65 g, 7.61 g, and 5.64 g, respectively). Average kernel weight in Fiji was well above 3 g, which indicated that processing could be commercially viable. The total oil concentration was significantly higher in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands than Fiji, with average concentrations of 38.96% in Solomon Islands, 47.11% in Vanuatu, and 26.20% in Fiji. Barringtonia spp. exhibited high concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids, similar to other tropical nuts, which suggests that it may be a potential healthy oil for human consumption. Notably, kernel size, oil concentration, and fatty acid composition varied geographically, potentially due to climatic differences and historical seed transfer. Our study demonstrated the potential of Barringtonia to be commercialised to enhance food and nutrition security and provide a guide for cultivar selection.
Details
- Title
- Exploring Variations in Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Barringtonia Nuts: A Novel Forest Food
- Authors
- Shahla Bai - Griffith UniversityBruce Randall - Griffith UniversityGama Repson - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringGua Basil - Beg’s Sol Seed Technology and Supplies (Solomon Islands)Keli Doni - Solfarm Fresh (Solomon Islands)Peter Brooks - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringBrittany Elliott - Queensland University of TechnologyHelen Wallace - Queensland University of Technology
- Publication details
- Foods, Vol.14(12), pp.1-11
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.3390/foods14122147
- ISSN
- 2304-8158
- PMID
- 40565757; PMC12192473
- Copyright note
- © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Data Availability
- The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article/Supplementary Materials. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
- Grant note
- This research was funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, project numbers: FST-2014-067, FST-2017-038 and FST-2022-124.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991137072902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
22 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Food Science & Technology
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: SDGs from InCites