Jatropha curcas L. is such a resilient plant that it grows on arid soils to provide sustainable protein and useful vegetable fats to address the global food security crisis. In addition to improving soil quality and absorbing CO2. #sdgs2030.
1) Jatropha curcas L. A resilient and versatile plant
Jatropha curcas L
. is a plant in the family Euphorbiaceae (order Malpighiales) and has oil-rich seeds. Its wild or semi-cultivated populations are widespread in many tropical regions in Africa, Southeast Asia, Central and North America. (1) It is adapted to adverse conditions (low fertility soils, drought, extreme temperatures) and almost all types of soils, including soils that are poor in organic matter, semi-arid and prone to degradation.
The round fruits of Jatropha curcas L. contain one to four oval black kernels, 2 cm long and about 1 cm in diameter. After removing the black shell, a beige-colored kernel (weighing about 0.4-0.5 g) is obtained. Seeds are composed mainly of fat (about 60 percent, of which 20 percent is saturated fat) and protein (25-32 percent). As well as fiber (ca. 8%), ash and carbohydrates. Some varieties are not edible due to the presence of forbs esters.
1.1) Traditional uses
An edible variety of Jatropha, – known as piñon manso and free of PE (phorbol esters, forbol esters) – is grown in some regions of Mexico (e.g., Veracruz) and used to prepare a variety of traditional dishes. The history of consumption of its roasted seeds(xuta) is traced back to the Totonaca culture (about 1500 B.C.). Roasting or cooking is necessary to make the grains tastier and more digestible by reducing the content of some thermolabile anti-nutritional components (e.g., phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors, lectins) that are also present in other plant matrices. (2)
Traditional Mexican medicine contemplates the use of every part of the Jatropha plant (roots, stems, leaves, seeds and fruits) to treat hemorrhage, rheumatism, toothache, etc. Due to the antimicrobial, antifungal and antiparasitic properties attributed to the plant. Jatropha is also used as a biological fertilizer, as it is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. (3) The kernels of inedible varieties have also been used in recent decades to produce biodiesel. While their spent cakes are considered as possible sources of protein for use in feed, after PE decontamination.
2) Jatropha curcas L. Novel Food authorization procedure in EU
JatroSolutions GmbH has selected an edible variety of Jatropha curcas L. (cultivar named EdibleNut) and organized a production chain to ensure its genomic identity through a special molecular marker in order to prevent and control possible risks of cross-contamination with non-edible varieties of the same plant.
The application for authorization as a Novel Food–brought forward through extensive production of studies, analyses and data requested by EFSA during the scientific evaluation–concerns the use of the kernels of this Jatropha curcas L. (Chuta®) as:
– whole food, to be eaten as a ‘snack, on a par with other nuts,’ and
– food ingredient (whole kernels or their fragments, excluding flour) in a range of food matrices. Proposed consumption target is the general population (adolescents and adults).
2.1) Favorable Opinion of EFSA.
The EFSA NDA (Nutrition, Novel Foods, Food Allergens) panel-thanks in part to the contribution of the Working Group on Compendium of Botanicals, Eirini Kouloura and Petra Gergelova-issued a favorable scientific opinion on the application submitted by JatroSolutions GmbH on 1/21/22.
EFSA’s opinion considers the suitability of the criteria adopted by JatroSolutions GmbH to ensure:
– segregation of the EdibleNut cultivar from the propagation of vegetative material and its cultivation in vocated areas (at tropical latitude),
– manufacturing and processing processes, to be carried out in the EU, capable of controlling and maintaining any traces of forbol esters within food-safe levels,
– Substantial absence of biological and process contaminants (e.g., acrylamide, furans, 3-MCPD, GE), heavy metals, pesticide residues.
2.2) Data protection and exclusivity
The Novel Food application includes a request for proprietary data protection (pursuant to EU Reg. 2015/2283, Article 26), in relation to:
– composition, nutritional information, allergens, biological and process contaminants,
– Chuta cultivation management, shelf-life testing (1 year), forbole ester analysis methods (developed ad hoc, in accordance with EFSA NDA panel),
– Forbol ester control procedures, hydrothermal treatment, molecular markers, predicted intake and toxicological information. (4)
3) Jatropha, prospects for sustainable development.
Jatropower
– a Swiss company established in Baar (Zurich, Switzerland) in 2018 – has introduced an innovative business model that is based on the cultivation of certain Jatropha cultivars in fallow and unproductive land. Without making monocultures or resorting to artificial irrigation, pesticides and herbicides. (5) Jatropower’s innovation-already awarded by Prof. Bertrand Piccard’s Swiss Solar Impulse Foundation-has kicked off with some pilot plantings in India and Madagascar.
The prospects for sustainable development deserve attention in several respects:
– food security
. Jathropa offers the possibility of producing sustainable plant proteins and fats, respecting biodiversity, even at the level of micro-scale peasant agriculture. #SGD1, #SDG2,
– soil protection
. The plant can stem the degradation of soils and help restore their fertility. It could therefore be cultivated in the millions of hectares plagued by desertification. (6) #SGG14,
– climate change
. Jathropa has the ability to sequester significant amounts of carbon in the atmosphere. #SDG13. And it is indeed the market for carbon credits, presumably, that motivates Swiss investors. (7)
Dario Dongo
Cover image from CABI, Invasive species compendium, Jatropha curcas (jatropha) https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/28393
Notes
(1) Renata Alleva.
Lectins: what they are and what effects they have on health.
. Black Elk. 9.3.20,
(2) Nidia Araiza (2016). Evaluación morfológica, bioquímica y diversidad genética del germoplasma silvestre de Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) y Jatropha (Jatropha curcas) del Noroeste de México. Centro de Investigaciones biológicas del Noroeste, Mexico. https://bit.ly/3yVSjRY
(3) EFSA (2022). Safety of hydrothermally treated kernels from edible Jatropha curcas L. (Chuta) as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. doi: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2022.6998
(4) Some precedents in miracle fruit cases and some turmeric extracts. See also Dario Dongo, Giulia Torre.
Procedure for notification of traditional foods from third countries as Novel Foods in EU.
. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 4.3.22,
(5) Jatropower develops new business model for long-term profitable removal of CO2 from the atmosphere with plantations on fallow land. PRNewswire. 6/16/22, https://prn.to/3v8cX0g
(6) Dario Dongo, Giulia Torre.
Desertification and soil degradation, PRIMA’s research and innovation.
GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 22.6.22,
(7) Dario Dongo, Giorgio Perrone. Carbon farming and carbon certificates in agriculture, the EU project. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 1.2.22.
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
