Pouteria caimito: An Emerging Tropical Fruit Crop- A Critical Review

Abstract

Pouteria caimito (Ruiz & Pav.) Radlk., known variously as abiu, caimito or yellow star apple, is a Sapotaceae tree native to the western Amazon basin that has begun to attract international research and horticultural interest as a candidate for orchard diversification, functional-food development and Amazonian agro-biodiversity conservation. Despite growing recognition of its sweet, custard-textured fruit and its wide traditional use in South American folk medicine, the species remains comparatively under-characterised relative to mainstream tropical fruits. This review synthesises the dispersed literature on the botany, propagation, nutritional composition, phytochemistry, postharvest physiology and pharmacological properties of P. caimito. The fruit pulp is notably rich in soluble solids, reducing sugars and potassium, while the peel is the principal reservoir of phenolic compounds, triterpenoids and flavonoids responsible for measurable antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and cytotoxic-safety profiles reported across in vitro assays. Postharvest research shows the fruit is markedly perishable, with rapid enzymic browning and chilling injury constraining its commercial shelf life, although maturity-stage selection, ascorbic acid and oxalic acid dips, and moderate cold storage each measurably extend marketability. Propagation remains reliant on seed and, to a lesser extent, cutting-based vegetative methods, with limited clonal selection or rootstock research reported. Genomic resources are confined to plastid genome assemblies that confirm a close phylogenetic relationship with Pouteria campechiana. Collectively, the evidence indicates a species with tangible nutritional, pharmacological and diversification value that is nonetheless held back by fragmented agronomic knowledge, a narrow geographic base of active research groups, and an almost complete absence of large-scale cultivar improvement or supply-chain infrastructure. The review closes by identifying priority research directions, principal limitations of the underlying evidence base, and concluding perspectives on the prospects for P. caimito as a commercially viable emerging tropical fruit crop.