Tamarillo another ‘commerciable’ food

Ever heard of the "tree tomato?"

Officially named tamarillo (Cyphomandra betacea), it originated in the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina and introduced in the Cordillera by the Spaniards, hence, it is known as "Spanish tomato" or "dulce."

Locally, tamarillo is grown to some extent in Atok, Benguet, the highest point in the Cordillera, where about 1,000 trees are planted producing at most 500,000 fruits per year. Tamarillo produced are sold as fresh fruits along the Atok stretch of the Halsema Highway.

In countries where tamarillo is a popular food item, it is made into jelly, jam and chutney (like atsara) added to ice cream and yoghurt, baked, and cooked as a substitute for tomato.

In the Philippines, it is still a less known fruit and its uses are limited to being eaten fresh.

In view of this, the DA Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) had funded a research project to look into its market potentials. The project was subsequently continued by DA-CAR.

Chemical analyses done by researchers in other countries and of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute have shown that tamarillo is "nutrient-packed."

During the RDE symposium in La Trinidad, project researcher Leonora K. Verzola of DA-CAR introduced some tamarillo products, among them cake and chocolate-coated pastries.

At present, according to DA-CAR, the foremost constraint to tamarillo production is marketing, particularly lack of market outlets during peak months (July-October) of production.

But DA-CAR is optimistic that these problems are expected to be solved over time, particularly when more and more people begin to appreciate tamarillo’s value as a food item. – Rudy A. Fernandez