Brazil nut 292381 225988537 2008-07-16T10:03:53Z Naerhu 784486 /* Nomenclature */ {{Taxobox | name = Brazil nut | status = VU | status_system = iucn2.3 | image = Bertholletia excelsa.jpg | image_width = 150px | image_caption = | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] | classis = [[Magnoliopsida]] | ordo = [[Ericales]] | familia = [[Lecythidaceae]] | genus = '''''Bertholletia''''' | species = '''''B. excelsa''''' | binomial = ''Bertholletia excelsa'' | binomial_authority = [[Alexander von Humboldt|Humb.]] & [[Aimé Bonpland|Bonpl.]] }} The '''Brazil nut''' (''Bertholletia excelsa'') is a [[South America]]n [[tree]] in the family [[Lecythidaceae]], and also the name of the tree's commercially harvested edible seed. The Brazil nut tree is the only species in the monotypic genus '''''Bertholletia'''''. It is native to the [[Guianas]], [[Venezuela]], [[Brazil]], eastern [[Colombia]], eastern [[Peru]] and eastern [[Bolivia]]. It occurs as scattered trees in large forests on the banks of the [[Amazon River|Amazon]], [[Rio Negro (Amazon)|Rio Negro]], and the [[Orinoco]]. The genus is named after the [[France|French]] chemist [[Claude Louis Berthollet]]. ==Tree== The Brazil nut is a large tree, reaching 30–45 metres (100–150 ft) tall and 1–2 metres (3–6.5 ft) trunk diameter, among the largest of trees in the [[Amazon Rainforest]]s. It may live for 500 years or more, and according to some authorities often reaches an age of 1,000 years.<ref>[http://www.assets.wwf.no/news_facts/newsroom/features/index.cfm?uNewsID=92320 Harvesting nuts, improving lives in Brazil], Bruno Taitson, WWF, 18 January 2007</ref> The stem is straight and commonly unbranched for well over half the tree's height, with a large emergent crown of long branches above the surrounding canopy of other trees. The bark is grayish and smooth. The [[leaf|leaves]] are dry-season [[deciduous]], alternate, simple, entire or crenate, oblong, 20–35 centimetre long and 10–15 centimetres broad. The [[flower]]s are small, greenish-white, in [[panicles]] 5–10 centimetres long; each flower has a two-parted, deciduous [[Calyx (botany)|calyx]], six unequal cream-colored [[petal]]s, and numerous [[stamen]]s united into a broad, hood-shaped mass. ==Reproduction== [[Image:Brazil nut DSC05477.JPG|thumb|right|A freshly cut Brazil nut fruit]] Brazil nut trees produce fruit almost exclusively in pristine forests, as disturbed forests lack the large-body bees of the genera Bombus, Centris, Epicharis, Eulaema, and Xylocopa which are the only ones capable of [[pollinate|pollinating]] the tree's flowers.<ref name=Nelson1985>{{cite journal | author = Nelson, B.W. | coauthors = Absy, M.L.; Barbosa, E.M.; Prance, G.T. | year = 1985 | title = Observations on flower visitors to Bertholletia excelsa H. B. K. and Couratari tenuicarpa A. C. Sm.(Lecythidaceae). | journal = Acta Amazonica | volume = 15 | issue = 1 | pages = 225–234 | url = http://www.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=ENV&recid=1566670 | accessdate = 2008-04-08 }}</ref><ref name=Moritz1984>{{cite journal | author = Moritz, A. | year = 1984 | title = Estudos biológicos da floração e da frutificação da castanha-do-Brasil (Bertholletia excelsa HBK) | volume = 29 | url = http://orton.catie.ac.cr/cgi-bin/wxis.exe/?IsisScript=ACERVO.xis&method=post&formato=2&cantidad=1&expresion=mfn=029738 | accessdate = 2008-04-08 }}</ref> Brazil nuts have been harvested from plantations but production is low and it is currently not economically viable.<ref>[http://www.nybg.org/bsci/braznut/#Plantations Brazil Nut Plantations]</ref><ref>[http://www.siu.edu/~ebl/leaflets/brazil.htm The Brazil Nut (Bertholletia excelsa)]</ref><ref>[http://www.bertholletia.org/bertholletia/benefits/benefits.html The Brazil Nut Tree: More than just nuts]</ref> This tree has a very sweet nectar in the flower. The Brazil nut tree's yellow flowers can only be pollinated by an [[insect]] strong enough to lift the coiled hood on the flower and with tongues long enough to negotiate the complex coiled flower. The orchids produce a scent that attracts small male long-tongued [[euglossini|orchid bees]] (''[[Euglossa]]'' spp), as the male bees need that scent to attract females. The large female long-tongued orchid bee pollinates the Brazil nut tree. Without the orchid, the bees do not mate, and therefore the lack of bees means the fruit does not get pollinated. If both the orchids and the bees are present, the fruit takes 14 months to mature after pollination of the flowers. The fruit itself is a large capsule 10–15 centimetres diameter resembling a [[coconut]] [[endocarp]] in size and weighing up to 2 kilograms. It has a hard, woody shell 8–12 millimetres thick, and inside contains 8–24 triangular seeds 4–5 centimetres long (the "Brazil nuts") packed like the segments of an [[citrus|orange]]; it is not a true [[nut (fruit)|nut]] in the botanical sense. The capsule contains a small hole at one end, which enables large [[rodent]]s like the [[Common Agouti|Agouti]] to gnaw it open. They then eat some of the nuts inside while burying others for later use; some of these are able to germinate to produce new Brazil nut trees. Most of the seeds are "planted" by the Agoutis in shady places, and the young [[sapling]]s may have to wait years, in a state of dormancy, for a tree to fall and sunlight to reach it. It is not until then that it starts growing again. [[Capuchin monkey]]s have been reported to open Brazil nuts using a stone as an [[anvil]]. ==Nomenclature== [[Image:BrazilNut1.JPG|thumb|left|Brazil nut seeds]] Despite their name, the most significant exporter of Brazil nuts is not Brazil but Bolivia, where they are called ''almendras''. In Brazil these nuts are called ''castanhas-do-Pará'' (literally "chestnuts from [[Pará]]"), but [[Acre (state)|Acre]]ans call them ''castanhas-do-Acre'' instead. [[Amerindians|Indigenous]] names include ''juvia'' in the Orinoco area, and ''sapucaia'' in the rest of Brazil. And, though it has fallen into disuse due to the negative racial connotaion, a common slang term for the nuts in some regions of the [[United States]] was "[[nigger]] toes". '''Cream nut''' is one of several historical names for the Brazil nut used in America. [[Image:Brazilnut.jpg|right|thumb|Brazil nut encased in its seed coat]][[Image:Brazil Nut - Project Gutenberg eBook 11662.jpg|thumb|Depiction of the Brazil nut in ''[[Scientific American]] Supplement'', No. 598, [[June 18]], [[1887]]]] While cooks classify the Brazil nut as a [[nut (fruit)|nut]], botanists consider it to be a [[seed]] and not a nut, since in nuts the shell splits in half with the meat separate from the shell. ==Nut production== Around 20,000 [[tonne]]s of Brazil nuts are harvested each year, of which Bolivia accounts for about 50%, Brazil 40% and Peru 10% (2000 estimates).<ref>[http://www.nri.org/NRET/brazilnuts.pdf Economic Viability of Brazil Nut Trading in Peru] Chris Collinson et al, University of Greenwich</ref> In 1980, annual production was around 40,000 tons per year from Brazil alone, and in 1970 Brazil harvested a reported 104,487 tons of nuts.<ref>[http://www.nybg.org/bsci/braznut/ The Brazil Nut Industry &mdash; Past, Present, and Future], Scott A. Mori, The New York Botanical Garden</ref> ===Effects of harvesting=== Brazil nuts for international trade come entirely from wild collection rather than from plantations. This has been advanced as a model for generating income from a [[Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|tropical forest]] without destroying it. The nuts are gathered by migrant workers known as ''castanheiros''. Analysis of tree ages in areas that are harvested show that moderate and intense gathering takes so many seeds that not enough are left to replace older trees as they die. Sites with light gathering activities had many young trees, while sites with intense gathering practices had hardly any young trees.<ref> http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2004.03.022</ref> Statistical tests were done to determine what environmental factors could be contributing to the lack of younger trees. The most consistent effect was found to be the level of gathering activity at a particular site. A [[Computer simulation|computer model]] predicting the size of trees where people picked all the nuts matched the tree size data that was gathered from physical sites that had heavy harvesting. ==Uses== [[Image:Brazil nuts.jpg|left|thumb|Brazil nuts after shell removal]] ===Foodstuff=== Brazil nuts are 18% [[protein]], 13% [[carbohydrates]], and 69% [[fat]]. The fat breakdown is roughly 25% [[Saturated fat|saturated]], 41% [[Monounsaturated fat|monounsaturated]], and 34% [[Polyunsaturated fat|polyunsaturated]].{{Fact|date=December 2007}} They are somewhat earthy in flavor. The saturated fat content of Brazil nuts is among the highest of all nuts, surpassing even [[macadamia nut]]s. Because of the resulting rich taste, Brazil nuts can often substitute for macadamia nuts or even [[coconut]]s in recipes. Shelled Brazil nuts soon become rancid. The nuts are also pressed for oil. Brazil nuts are very large in size compared to some other nuts. Although often contained in superior nut selections, they are sometimes considered by nut connoisseurs to be less tasty than their nut cousins, such as macadamias, cashews and almonds.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} Nutritionally, Brazil nuts are perhaps the richest source of [[selenium]], containing as much as 1180% of the USRDV, although the amount of selenium varies greatly.<ref>{{cite journal |quotes= |last=Chang |first=Jacqueline C. |authorlink= |coauthors=Walter H. Gutenmann, Charlotte M. Reid, Donald J. Lisk |year=1995 |month= |title=Selenium content of Brazil nuts from two geographic locations in Brazil |journal=Chemosphere |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=801–802 |id=0045-6535|doi=10.1016/0045-6535(94)00409-N }}</ref> They are also a good source of [[magnesium]] and [[thiamine]]. Some research has suggested that selenium intake is correlated with a reduced risk of both [[breast cancer]] as well as [[prostate cancer]].<ref>Klein EA, Thompson IM, Lippman SM, Goodman PJ, Albanes D, Taylor PR, Coltman C., "SELECT: the next prostate cancer prevention trial. Selenum and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial.", J Urol. 2001 Oct;166(4):1311-5. [PMID 11547064]</ref> This has led some commentators to recommend the consumption of Brazil nuts as a protective measure.<ref>Cancer Decisions Newsletter Archive, ''Selenium, Brazil Nuts and Prostate Cancer'', [http://www.cancerdecisions.com/121001.html] last accessed 8 March 2007</ref> Subsequent studies about the effects of selenium on prostate cancer are inconclusive.<ref>Peters U, Foster CB, Chatterjee N, Schatzkin A, Reding D, Andriole GL, Crawford ED, Sturup S, Chanock SJ, Hayes RB. "Serum selenium and risk of prostate cancer-a nested case-control study." Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jan;85(1):209-17. [PMID 17209198]</ref> Ironically the [[European Union]] has imposed strict regulations on the import from Brazil of Brazil nuts in their shells, as the shells have been found to contain high levels of [[aflatoxin]]s, which can lead to liver cancer.<ref>[http://www.fsai.ie/legislation/food/eu_docs/food_products/Brazil_Nuts/Dec2003.493.EC.pdf "Commission decision of 4 July 2003 imposing special conditions on the import of Brazil nuts in shell originating in or consigned from Brazil"], Official Journal of the European Union, at Food Safety Authority of Ireland website</ref> According to Tony Farndell, MD of TFR Nuts and Dried Fruits Ltd, a UK importer, the situation regarding the import of in-shell kernels came as a result of the whole nut including the shell, being ground down for testing. Thus [[aflatoxin]]s were detected and the restrictions imposed. ===Other uses=== As well as its food use, Brazil nut oil is also used as a [[lubricant]] in [[clock]]s, for making [[artist|artists']] [[paint]]s, and in the [[cosmetics]] industry. The [[timber]] from Brazil nut trees (not to be confused with [[Brazilwood]]) is of excellent quality, but logging the trees is prohibited by law in all three producing countries (Brazil, Bolivia and Peru). Illegal extraction of timber and land clearances present a continuing threat.<ref>[http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/activists-trapped-by-loggers071018|Greenpeace Activists Trapped by Loggers in Amazon], Greenpeace, 18 October 2007</ref> The [[Brazil nut effect]], where large items mixed with other smaller items (e.g. Brazil nuts mixed with [[peanut]]s) tend to rise to the top, is named after the species' large nuts. ==Radioactivity== Brazil nuts contain small amounts of [[radium]], a [[radioactivity|radioactive]] material. Although the amount is very small, about 1&ndash;7 pCi/g (40&ndash;260 [[Becquerel|Bq]]/kg), and most of it is not retained by the body, this is 1,000 times higher than in other foods. According to [[Oak Ridge Associated Universities]], this is not because of elevated levels of radium in the soil, but due to "the very extensive root system of the tree."<ref>Radioactivity of Brazil nuts. http://www.orau.org/PTP/collection/consumer%20products/brazilnuts.htm</ref> ==See also== *[[Official list of endangered flora of Brazil]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * {{IUCN2006|assessors=Americas Regional Workshop (Conservation & Sustainable Management of Trees, Costa Rica, November 1996)|year=1998|id=32986|title=Bertholletia excelsa|downloaded=9 May 2006}} Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1acd+2cd v2.3) * {{cite journal | author=[[Carlos A. Peres|Peres, C.A.]] et al. | title=Demographic threats to the sustainability of Brazil nut exploitation | journal=Science | volume=302 | issue=December 19 | year=2003 | pages=2112–2114 | doi=10.1126/science.1091698 | pmid=14684819}} (Overharvesting of Brazil nuts as threat to regeneration.) * [http://www.bertholletia.org/bertholletia/ Brazil Nut homepage] {{commons|Bertholletia excelsa}} * [http://sweetgum.nybg.org/lp/taxon.php?irn=133412 New York Botanical Gardens Brazil Nuts Page] * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6298997.stm Brazil nuts' path to preservation, BBC News.] * [http://www.eoearth.org/article/Brazil_nut_(Bertholletia_excelsa Brazil nut, The Encyclopedia of Earth] * [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/deepjungle/ep2/brazilnut.html] * {{Grocers}} [[Category:Crops originating from the Americas]] [[Category:Edible nuts and seeds]] [[Category:Lecythidaceae]] [[Category:Trees of Brazil]] [[Category:Trees of Bolivia]] [[Category:Trees of Colombia]] [[Category:Trees of Guyana]] [[Category:Trees of Peru]] [[Category:Trees of Venezuela]] [[Category:Trees of the Amazon]] [[Category:Tropical agriculture]] [[Category:Native crops of Brazil]] [[Category:Native crops of Bolivia]] [[Category:Native crops of Peru]] [[cs:Para ořech]] [[da:Paranød]] [[de:Paranussbaum]] [[et:Parapähklipuu]] [[es:Bertholletia excelsa]] [[fr:Noix du Brésil]] [[hsb:Paraworjechowc]] [[it:Noce del Brasile]] [[he:אגוז ברזילאי]] [[lt:Brazilinė bertoletija]] [[nl:Paranoot]] [[no:Paranøtt]] [[pl:Orzesznica wyniosła]] [[pt:Castanha-do-pará]] [[qu:Kastaña]] [[ru:Бразильский орех]] [[sl:Bertolecija]] [[fi:Parapähkinäpuu]] [[sv:Paranöt]] [[zh:巴西栗]]