Refresh with the antioxidant fruit this summer, says Devajyoti Bokolial of the botany department of St Anthony’s College
MARCH-APRIL is the time of the year when basketfuls of a light pink coloured beautiful fruit will start appearing in the markets. These fruits are called wild olive or bastard oleaster, locally known as ‘soh-shang’ and a commonly available fruit in Meghalaya.
The plant is found growing in semi-wild condition in backyard home gardens of many families in the state. Its botanical name is Elaeagnus latifolia. It also occurs in other states of northeast India as well and Western Ghats and west coast of India. The plant is a native of South Asia and found in countries like Burma, Malaya, Sri Lanka, China, etc. A wild relative of ‘soh-shang’, locally called ‘soh-khlur’ (Elaeagnus pyriformis) with smaller pear-shaped fruits is also found in Meghalaya.
The ‘soh shang’ plant is a large woody, evergreen and fast growing shrub with densely crowded branches. It can thrive well in nitrogen deficient soil, as it has a kind of bacteria in its roots which can fix atmospheric nitrogen and fertilize the soil. The plant generally flowers in October-December and produces fruits during March-April. The fruits are light pink coloured when fully ripe and are quite attractive. The delicious fruits are eaten raw with salt. However the fruit has to be fully ripe before eating, as the unripe fruits have a sharp taste .Fruits are also used for making chutney and fruit pulp is used for making jam, jelly and refreshing drink. The flowers are considered cardio-tonic.
Researchers have found that the fruits of this plant are a very rich source of vitamins especially vitamin C and minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus besides other bioactive compounds. Searching for dietary antioxidants in common edibles like vegetables, fruits, leaves, roots, etc., is one of the major thrust areas in present day scientific researches. Flavonoids, flavonols and other phenolic compounds are major compounds with antioxidant activity and thus play a preventive role in many ailments including different forms of cancer. A high amount of these compounds have been extracted from ‘soh shang’ and thus the fruit is considered as a very good source of antioxidants. They are also a good source of essential fatty acids.
Scientists have recognized more than twenty minor fruits in northeast India with potential for commercial use. Among these, ‘soh shang’ and ‘sohphie’, due to their higher fruit yields have better potential for commercial exploitation in pickle and beverage industries. All we need is a proper agro-technique for mass cultivation and cost effective scientific techniques for harvesting and processing of these fruits.