 Theendosperm of macapuno coconuts are jelly-like and fill almost the entirety of the central cavity in coconut seeds | |
| Alternative names | Coconut sport |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Philippines (originally domesticated) |
| Region or state | Southeast Asia and thePacific Islands |
| Associatedcuisine | Philippines,Indonesian |
| Main ingredients | Coconut |
Macapuno, also calledcoconut sport, is a naturally occurringcoconutcultivar that has an abnormal development of theendosperm. The result of this abnormal development is a soft translucent jelly-like flesh that fills almost the entire central cavity of coconut seeds, with little to nococonut water.[1]
Macapuno was first described scientifically from wild specimens in 1931 byEdwin Copeland. They were cultivated commercially in thePhilippines after the development of the "embryo rescue"in vitro culture technology in the 1960s by Emerita V. De Guzman. Although called coconutsport, thismutation is not necessarily asport in the botanical sense of a mutation arising in part of an adultplant; it may have arisen originally in a seed. It has become an important crop incoconut-producing countries and is now widely used in the cuisines ofSoutheast Asia and thePacific Islands.
The namemacapuno (also spelledmakapuno) is derived fromTagalogmakapuno, the local name of the phenotype in thePhilippines, meaning "characterized by being full", a reference to the way the endosperm in macapuno coconuts fill the interior hollow of coconut seeds.[2]
In Indonesia, the namekelapa puan means female coconut in theIndonesian language, referring to the relatively softer texture of the fruit flesh compared to regular coconut.Kelapa kopyor means scrambled coconut in theJavanese language, referring to when eggs are shaken, mixing the albumen (white) and yolk (yellow). The coconut is named so because of the white yellowish colour and "cluttered" texture.Kelapa lilin means "wax coconut" in the Indonesian language. These three coconut mutations have different properties but are frequently confused.[3]
It is also known asdong kathi inCambodia,thairu tengai inIndia,niu garuk inPapua New Guinea,pia inPolynesia,dikiri pol inSri Lanka,maprao kathi (Thai:มะพร้าว กะทิ) inThailand, anddừa sáp ('wax coconut') inVietnam.[4]
It is impossible to distinguish macapuno seeds from normal seeds based on the external appearance of the fruits. The only way to ascertain if a seed has the macapuno phenotype is to open it.[5]
Normal coconut flesh mostly consists ofgalactomannan as a source of energy. In the development process, this substrate is degraded into two sub-components,galactose andmannose. In macapuno, the enzyme for degrading this substrate,α-D-galactosidase, is not active. Hence, the endosperm fails to nourish the embryo, resulting in a collapsed embryo. Besides this enzyme, a couple of other enzymes are also suspected of being involved in the development of this trait:sucrose synthase andstearoyl acyl carrier protein desaturase.[5]
Kopyor coconuts have a higher sucrose proportion (92% of total sugar) and contain more total amino acids compared with young mature coconuts. The lipid content in the flesh is also lower compared to young mature coconut flesh. In addition to the higher content of citric and malic acids, all these properties may contribute to the taste of kopyor flesh.[6]
Macapuno are classified into three types (I, II, and III), depending on how much the soft endosperm fills the seeds.[7]
The macapuno phenotype is believed to be controlled by arecessive gene (m) expressed as ahomozygous condition in wild macapuno-bearing palms. This would explain why naturally occurring macapuno palms bear both macapuno seeds and normal seeds, as pure macapuno palms would be impossible in the wild. Laboratory experiments have also shown that self-pollinated or cross-pollinated rescued macapuno embryos result in pure macapuno palms that have 100% macapuno seed yields, reinforcing the hypothesis. The presence of the dominant geneM would produce normal viable coconuts. Thexenia effect may also play a factor in the expression of macapuno phenotypes.[5]
| Egg nucleus (n) | Polar nuclei (2n) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sperm nucleus (n) | M | m | MM | mm |
| M | MM Germinating embryo | Mm Germinating embryo | MMM Normal endosperm | Mmm Normal endosperm |
| m | Mm Germinating embryo | mm Non-germinating embryo | MMm Normal endosperm | mmm macapuno endosperm |
Macapuno occurs sporadically in the wild at very low rates of 0.15% throughout the native range of Pacific coconuts.[4] It occurs in palms which bear both the macapuno and normal seeds. Macapuno was initially reported in scientific literature in 1931 byEdwin Copeland, an American botanist working for theDepartment of Agriculture of theInsular Government of the Philippine Islands (then anAmerican territory). The original specimens were described fromLaguna, Philippines andTangerang,Indonesia.[10][5]
Macapuno remained rare and expensive, despite being valued as a traditional delicacy, because macapuno seeds are non-viable. While theembryos of macapuno seeds are normal, the surrounding abnormal endosperm can not support their germination, thus rendering macapuno seeds effectively sterile.[7][11] Traditional propagation of macapuno involved taking the viable (normal) seeds from the sameracemes as macapuno seeds and planting them.[12] While macapuno yields could be increased by planting macapuno-bearing palms close together or in isolation, the chances of the phenotype reoccurring in the fruits of the progeny was very low, at only 2 to 21%.[7]
Mass propagation of macapuno seedlings only became possible through the development of "embryo rescue"in vitro culture technology by theFilipinaplant physiologist Emerita V. De Guzman of theUniversity of the Philippines in the 1960s.[5][7][13] By extracting ("rescuing") the embryo inside macapuno seeds and culturing themin vitro, she was able to increase macapuno yields per palm to 75 to 100%. This technology was later improved in the 1990s by the Albay Research Center of thePhilippine Coconut Authority (PCA-ARC) headed by the Filipinabiotechnologist Erlinda P. Rillo.[14][5]
Four other improved protocols for coconut embryo culture technology were further developed by the PCA-ARC,University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), theCentral Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) ofIndia, and theInstitut de recherche pour le développement (IRD) ofFrance. These were tested by fourteen laboratories in eleven countries (China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Brazil, France, Mexico, and Tanzania) in the 1997 global Coconut Embryo Culture Project. These protocols were later combined into the improved embryo culture protocol by Areza-Ubaldo,et al. (2003) of the PCA and is now the primary method of mass-producing macapuno seedlings in coconut-producing countries.[15][16]
InFilipino cuisine, macapuno is widely used and is popular for its sweet coconut flavor. It can be eaten on its own or used as an ingredient in traditional desserts likehalo-halo andpastillas or cooked in syrup as aminatamis (fruit preserve). It is also used widely in processed food products, including ice creams, pastries, cakes, candies, and beverages. A traditional combination in Filipino cuisine that is also a common flavoring in various desserts is macapuno andube halaya (mashedpurple yam), a pairing known as "ube macapuno".[17]
InIndonesian cuisine, macapuno coconut (kelapa puan/kopyor) is considered a delicacy.Es kelapa puan/kopyor is adessert drink which is made using this coconut. The traditional version is just the Kelapa puan/kopyor itself, sugar, ice cubes, and water, rendering the taste of the unique coconut authentic. Some variation will include various syrups and various other ingredients common in desserts. Meanwhile, Kelapa Lilin is usually cooked asKolak Kelapa Lilin. It is cooked in coconut milk, palm sugar, and pandan leaves.[citation needed]
In Vietnam, macapuno is grown inTra Vinh andBen Tre provinces and is an expensive delicacy. Its flesh is mixed with milk and crushed ice to make a smoothie and served with crushed toasted peanuts.[18]
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