Le ditax (Detarium senegalense J. F. Gmel.): Principales caractéristiques et utilisations au Sénégal

Abstract

Botany. Originating from tropical Africa, Detarium senegalense J.F. Gmel. is a multicaulous big tree. The height varies between (15 and 40) m. It belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family and the Detarium Juss. genus. Its leaves are paripinnate, with five to six pairs of opposite leaflets laid out in an alternate manner. Distribution. D. senegalense is found on the wet dense edges of forests, in the coastal and northern regions, and the Sudan-Guinean zone. Also called "ditax" in Wolof, D. senegalense belongs to the most important forest fruit-bearing species in the economy of exploitation in Senegal. It grows in the wild in the Sine-Saloum islands and in Casamance. Composition and processing. The fruit is characterized by its green pulp which is very rich in vitamin C (more than 1 g•100 g-1). It is a very popular fruit and its pulp is widely consumed in Senegal as nectar, marmalade and sherbets, or directly eaten. Moreover, the fruit also has therapeutic virtues, such as cough treatment, kidney pain relief and leprosy treatment. Some varieties of D. senegalense produce toxic fruits but the compounds responsible for the toxicity have not been completely identified yet. Up to now, there is no objective method to differentiate edible fruits from toxic fruits. Assessment. In spite of its nutritional and organoleptic potential, ditax remains under-exploited. Consequently, a complete biochemical characterization of fruits, evaluation of technological potential, development of methods for a rapid detection of toxic fruits, and stability improvement of ditax processed products would be interesting research prospects for a better valorization of this fruit, which is rich in vitamin C. The domestication of the plant also deserves consideration for development of the production. © 2010 Cirad/EDP Sciences.