 The Pili nut (Canarium ovatum), one of 600 species in the family
Burseraceae, is native to Malesia. The genus name Canarium comes
from the vernacular name ‘kenari’ in the Molucca Isles of Indonesia
Trees of Canarium ovatum are attractive symmetrically shaped
evergreens, averaging 20 m tall with resinous wood and resistance to
strong wind. C. ovatum is dioecious, with flowers borne on cymose
inflorescence at the leaf axils of young shoots. As in papaya and rambutan, functional hermaphrodites exist in pili. Pollination is by
insects. Flowering of pili is frequent and fruits ripen through a
prolonged period of time. The ovary contains three locules, each
with two ovules, most of the time only one ovule develops (Chandler
1958).
Pili (pronounced pee-lee) fruit is a drupe, 4 to 7 cm long, 2.3
to 3.8 cm in diameter, and weighs 15.7 to 45.7 g. The skin (exocarp)
is smooth, thin, shiny, and turns purplish black when the fruit
ripens; the pulp (mesocarp) is fibrous, fleshy, and greenish yellow
in color, and the hard shell (endocarp) within protects a normally
dicotyledonous embryo. The basal end of the shell (endocarp) is
pointed and the apical end is more or less blunt; between the seed
and the hard shell (endocarp) is a thin, brownish, fibrous seed coat
developed from the inner layer of the endocarp. This thin coat
usually adheres tightly to the shell and/or the seed. Much of the
kernel weight is made up of the cotyledons, which are about 4.1 to
16.6% of the whole fruit; it is composed of approximately 8%
carbohydrate, 11.5 to 13.9% protein, and 70% fat. Kernels from some
trees may be bitter, fibrous or have a turpentine odor.
Cultivation and uses
Although they are grown as ornamental trees in many areas of the Old
World tropics of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, only the
Philippines produces and processes pili nuts commercially.
Production centers are located in the Bicol region, provinces of
Sorsogon, Albay, and Camarines Sur, southern Tagalog, and eastern
Visaya. There is no commercial planting of this crop, fruits are
collected from natural stands in the mountains near these provinces.
In 1977, the Philippines exported approximately 3.8 t of pili
preparation to Guam and Australia.
Pili is a tropical tree preferring deep, fertile, well drained
soil, warm temperatures, and well distributed rainfall. It can not
tolerate the slightest frost or low temperature. Refrigeration of
seeds at 4 °C to 13 °C resulted in loss of viability after 5 days.
Seed germination is highly recalcitrant, reduced from 98 to 19%
after 12 weeks of storage at room temperature; seeds stored for more
than 137 days did not germinate. Asexual propagations using
marcotting, budding, and grafting were too inconsistent to be used
in commercial production. Young shoots of pili were believed to have
functional internal phloems, which rendered bark ringing ineffective
as a way of building up carbohydrate levels in the wood. Success in
marcottage may be cultivar dependent. Production standards for a
mature pili tree is between 100 to 150 kg of in-shell nut with the
harvest season from May to October and peaking between June and
August. There are high variations in kernel qualities and production
between seedling trees.
Most pili kernels tend to stick to the shell when fresh, but come
off easily after being dried to 3 to 5% moisture (30 °C for 27 to 28
h). Shelled nuts, with a moisture content of 2.5 to 4.6%, can be
stored in the shade for one year without deterioration of quality
(Coronel et al. 1983).
The most important product from pili is the kernel. When raw, it
resembles the flavor of roasted pumpkin seed, and when roasted, its
mild, nutty flavor and tender-crispy texture is superior to that of
the almond. In Indonesia, epecially in Minahasa and Moluccas
islands, the kernels are used for making cake, bobengka in Minahasan
or bubengka in Maluku. Pili kernel is also used in chocolate, ice
cream, and baked goods. The largest buyers of pili nuts are in Hong
Kong and Taiwan, the kernel is one of the major ingredients in one
type of the famous Chinese festive desserts known as the "moon
cake".
Nutritionally, the kernel is high in calcium, phosphorus, and
potassium, and rich in fats and protein. It yields a light yellowish
oil, mainly of glycerides of oleic (44.4 to 59.6%) and palmitic
acids (32.6 to 38.2%).
The young shoots and the fruit pulp are edible. The shoots are
used in salads, and the pulp is eaten after it is boiled and
seasoned. Boiled pili pulp resembles the sweet potato in texture, it
is oily (about 12%) and is considered to have food value similar to
the avocado. Pulp oil can be extracted and used for cooking or as a
substitute for cotton seed oil in the manufacture of soap and edible
products. The stony shells are excellent as fuel or as porous, inert
growth medium for orchids and anthurium.
[edit] Future Prospects
According to Richard A. Hamilton, University of Hawaii at Manoa
(macadamia breeder), the current status of the pili is equivalent to
that of the macadamia some 30 years ago. It has great potential to
develop into a major industry. The immediate concern in pili
production is the difficulty of propagation. The lack of an
effective clonal propagation method not only hampers the collection
of superior germplasm but also makes it almost impossible to conduct
feasibility trials of this crop. Few elite pili trees, such as
'Red', 'Albay', and 'Katutubo' were selected in the Philippines. The
National Clonal Germplasm Repository at Hilo, USDA/ARS, has
initiated studies in in vitro and vegetative propagation for the
multiplication and long-term preservation of pili. A recently
released pili cultivar in Hawaii may further stimulate the interest
in this crop. This new selection, known as Poamoho, was released by
R.A. Hamilton. Besides the desirable production and quality
attributes, its kernels separate easily from the hard shell without
the need of prior drying (30°C for 27 to 28 h). This is an important
cost saving feature for processing.
Commercial Pili Farming A three hundred hectare pili farm with
60,000 sixty thousand pili trees was established in Negros
occidental by the ECJ and sons agricultural enterprises. they
started planting seedlings in 1992 and by 1996 realized that almost
half of the population were male. On the same year they started
grafting the male trees with scions from trees selected from the 20
or so thousand trees that were already producing fruits. It has been
processing pili into several products and also selling raw nuts to
processors. |
