Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as great morinda, Indian mulberry, Nunaakai (Tamil Nadu, India) , Mengkudu (Malaysia), beach mulberry, Tahitian noni, cheese fruit or noni (from Hawaiian) is a tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Morinda citrifolia is native to Southeast Asia but has been extensively spread throughout the Indian subcontinent, Pacific islands, French Polynesia, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and recently the Dominican Republic. Tahiti remains the most prominent growing location.
Growing habitats
Noni Flower
Noni grows in shady forests as well as on open rocky or sandy
shores. It reaches maturity in about 18 months and then yields between
4–8 kilograms (8.8–18 lb) of fruit every month throughout the year. It
is tolerant of saline soils, drought conditions, and secondary soils. It is therefore found in a wide variety of habitats: volcanic terrains, lava-strewn coasts, and clearings or limestone outcrops. It can grow up to 9 metres (30 ft) tall, and has large, simple, dark green, shiny and deeply veined leaves.
The plant flowers and fruits all year round and produces a small white flower. The fruit is a multiple fruit that has a pungent odor when ripening, and is hence also known as cheese fruit or even vomit fruit.
It is oval and reaches 4–7 centimetres (1.6–2.8 in) in size. At first
green, the fruit turns yellow then almost white as it ripens. It
contains many seeds. It is sometimes called starvation fruit. Despite its strong smell and bitter taste, the fruit is nevertheless eaten as a famine food and, in some Pacific islands, even a staple food, either raw or cooked. Southeast Asians and Australian Aborigines consume the fruit raw with salt or cook it with curry. The seeds are edible when roasted.
The noni is especially attractive to weaver ants,
which make nests out of the leaves of the tree. These ants protect the
plant from some plant-parasitic insects. The smell of the fruit also
attracts fruit bats, which aid in dispersing the seeds.
Nutrients
Noni fruit powder is high in carbohydrates and dietary fiber. According to the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, a 100g sample of the powder contains 71% carbohydrate and 36% fiber. The sample also contained 5.2% protein and 1.2% fat.
These macronutrients evidently reside in the fruit pulp, as noni juice has sparse amounts of macronutrients.
The main micronutrients of noni pulp powder include 9.81mg of vitamin C per 1200mg sample, as well as 0.048mg niacin (vitamin B3), 0.02mg iron and 32.0mg potassium. Vitamin A, calcium and sodium are present in moderate amounts.
When noni juice alone is analyzed and compared to pulp powder, only
vitamin C is retained at a high level, 33.65mg per 100g of juice.
Although the most significant nutrient feature of noni pulp powder
or juice is its high vitamin C content, noni fruit juice provides only
about half the vitamin C of a raw navel orange. Sodium levels in the noni juice blend (about 3% of DRI)
are multiples of those in an orange. Although the potassium content
appears relatively high for noni, this total is only about 3% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance and so would not be considered excessive. Noni juice is otherwise similar in micronutrient content to a raw orange.
Noni fruit contains a number of phytochemicals, including lignans, oligo- and polysaccharides, flavonoids, iridoids, fatty acids, scopoletin, catechin, beta-sitosterol, damnacanthal, and alkaloids. Although these substances have been studied for bioactivity, current research does not conclude anything about their effects on human health.
Laboratory experiments demonstrated that dietary noni juice increased physical endurance in mice.
Uses
Noni was explored unsuccessfully by medical researchers for possible use in treating cancer.
In Hawaii, ripe fruits are applied to draw out pus
from an infected boil. The green fruit, leaves and the root/rhizome
have traditionally been used to treat menstrual cramps and
irregularities, among other symptoms, while the root has also been used
to treat urinary difficulties.
The bark of the great morinda produces a brownish-purplish dye for batik making; on the Indonesian island of Java, the trees are cultivated for this purpose. In Hawaii, yellowish dye is extracted from its root in order to dye cloth.
There have been recent applications for the use of oil from noni seeds. Noni seed oil is abundant in linoleic acid that may have useful properties when applied topically on skin, e.g., anti-inflammation, acne reduction, moisture retention.
In Surinam and some other countries, the tree serves as a wind-break, as support for vines and as shade for coffee trees.
Gastronomy
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