Sunday, March 21, 2010

Baobab Powder

Baobab Fruit Pulp - 100% Native Dried
The Completely Natural Phytocomplex
Liophilized by Nature


Baobab fruit pulp can be used as an ingredient for chewable and sublingual tablets, candies, toffee; for Coeliacs Foods formulations;for Fruit Juices / Ice Tea / Enriched Milk formulations;as an Ingredient for Yoghurts (prebiotic, Baobab + probiotic, Yoghurt); as an ingredient for Energy Bars and Biscuits formulations; as an ingredient for Chocolate mixtures & Chocolate filling formulations; as an ingredient for Ice Cream and Smoothies formulations; etc.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Africa’s multipurpose tree to improve rural livelihoods

The problem
Growing populations, urbanisation and increasing industrial production in Africa are combining to raise the demand for food and other agricultural commodities. Yet the capacity of available resources and technologies to secure this provision and to achieve the goal of improved livelihoods for all remain uncertain.

The solution: baobab

Harvesting from the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata L.) enables rural people to have a balanced diet. Marketing of baobab products is an important means of income generation for many people and can provide a much needed buffer in times of drought and famine thus helping to reduce hunger and alleviate poverty.

The baobab is therefore one of the most valuable resources in the dry lands of Africa:

* the fruits are rich in vitamin C and are used to prepare beverages,
* the leaves are used fresh or dried as vegetables and as forage,
* the seeds are used to extract oil,
* all parts of the tree have medicinal properties,
* the bark provides strong and durable fibres,
* the tree is fire resistant and can survive severe droughts,
* it is easy and cheap to cultivate and free from any serious pests and diseases

* and it provides shade and protects the soil against erosion.

What could be done to make the baobab tree more widely used? Despite its wide distribution and multi-purpose uses the potential of baobab has not been fully realised. The following steps should be taken to overcome the limitations:

  • the availability of quality planting material should be increased,
  • improved propagation and management techniques should be developed and adopted,
  • processing technologies should be developed and adopted,
  • market chains and infrastructure for baobab products should be developed.
The way forward
Increase the availability of quality planting material. Organisations involved in conservation and utilisation of dry land genetic resources should support:
  • Survey and collection of seed
  • Identification of suitable varieties and their field testing
  • Mapping the tree diversity in different ecosystems
  • Selection and vegetative propagation of appropriate varieties in relation to utilisation objectives

Organisations involved with rural development and tree planting should support:

  • Establishment of tree nurseries
  • Multiplication through vegetative propagation of desired types Development and adoption of improved field establishment and tree management techniques
  • Application of improved propagation and management techniques

Development and application of processing technologies Attention needs to be paid to:


  • Improvement of storage and processing technology (e.g. to retain high levels of vitamin C in drinks and pro-vitamin A in dried leaves)
  • Standardisation of methods for the preparation of medicinal products
  • Knowledge transfer and technical support
  • Promotion of local small-scale industries for baobab products
  • Collaboration between industry and NGOs and CBOs should be promoted.

Marketing of baobab tree products Collaboration between eco- and fair trade associations and partner NGOs and CBOs should be supported.
The priorities are:

  • Adoption of international standards for products
  • Development of locally-made products for local markets
  • Development of market chains and infrastructure for baobab products
  • Promotion of the baobab fruit as a healthy fruit and for cosmetic use for export markets
  • Information collection on the market value of products, and supply and demand estimates
  • Collection of data on income derived from the production to consumption chain

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Legends of the Baobab Tree


The Baobabs are are full of mystery and wonder in Africa, tales have been brought down verbally from generation to generation. We have tried to compile as much as possible regarding this great tree of life.


A very, very long time ago, say some African legends, the first baobab sprouted beside a small lake. As it grew taller and looked about it spied other trees, noting their colorful flowers, straight and handsome trunks, and large leaves. Then one day the wind died away leaving the water smooth as a mirror, and the tree finally got to see itself. The reflected image shocked it to its root hairs. Its own flowers lacked bright color, its leaves were tiny, it was grossly fat, and its bark resembled the wrinkled hide of an old elephant.


In a strongly worded invocation to the creator, the baobab complained about the bad deal it’d been given. This impertinence had no effect: Following a hasty reconsideration, the deity felt fully satisfied. Relishing the fact that some organisms were purposefully less than perfect, the creator demanded to know whether the baobab found the hippopotamus beautiful, or the hyena’s cry pleasant-and then retired in a huff behind the clouds. 


But back on earth the barrel-chested whiner neither stopped peering at its reflection nor raising its voice in protest. Finally, an exasperated creator returned from the sky, seized the ingrate by the trunk, yanked it from the ground, turned it over, and replanted it upside down. And from that day since, the baobab has been unable to see its reflection or make complaint; for thousands of years it has worked strictly in silence, paying off its ancient transgression by doing good deeds for people. All across the African continent some variation on this story is told to explain why this species is so unusual and yet so helpful.