Botanical origin
Tarmarindus indica
Part used
The partially dried ripe fruit, deprived of the brittle outer portion of the pericarpand preserved in sugar or hot syrup.
Description
Tamarind pulp ocurrs as a reddish-brown,moist sticky mass,in which the yellow-brown fibers mentioned above are seen readily.Odour, pleaseant and fruity taste sweet and acid.
Nutritional Values
Food value(100g) Flower Pulp Leaves
Calories 115 —- —–
Protien 3.1g 5.8g 0.5g
Fiber 5.6g 1.9g 1.5g
Carbohydrates 67.4g – – – – – -
Calcuim 35-170mg 101mg 36mg
Magnesiu – – – 71mg - – -
Phosphorous 54-110mg 140mg 46mg
Oxalic acid traces 196mg – – -
potassium 375mg – – - – – -
Constituents
The pulp contains organic acids (about 10% of tartaric,citric and malic),their salts (about 8% of potassium hydrogen tartrate), a little nicotinic acid and about 30-40% of invert sugar.
Tartaric acid is synthesized in the actively metabolizing leaves of the plant and then translocated to the fruits as they develop.
Sugar is added to the manufactured pulp, to act as a preservative some what lowers the natural proportion of acids.
Flavonoid c-glycosides (vitexin,isovitexin,orientin and isoorieotin) occur in the leaves.
The fixed oil of the seeds contains a mixture of glycerides of saturated and unsaturated (oleic,linoleic) acids.
Uses of tamarindus indica
Tamarind pulp is a mild laxative and was formerly used in confection of senna.
It has traditional medicinal uses in W,Indies and the leaves have been suggest as commercial source of tartaric acid.