Leung's Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics

COMMERCIAL PREPARATIONS

Crude herb; extracts.

Regulatory Status. Class 1 dietary supple-

ment (herbs can be safely consumed when

used appropriately).

REFERENCES

See the General References forAPPLEQUIST;DER MARDEROSIAN AND BEUTLER;DUKE2;FOSTER AND DUKE;
GRIEVE;MCGUFFIN1&2;STEINMETZ;TUTIN1;TYLER1;UPHOF;WEISS;WREN.

1. G. G. Tsotsoriua et al., Kromatogr.
   Metody. Farm., 172 (1977).


2. J. Budzianowski and G. Pakulski,Planta
   Med., 57 , 290 (1991).


3. G. M. Kitanov, Pharmazie, 47 , 470
   (1992).


4. J. L. Guil et al.,Plant Foods Hum. Nutr.,
   51 , 99 (1997).


5. J. Hohmann et al.,Fitoterapia, 67 , 381
   (1996).


6. M. L. Salo and T. Makinen,Maataloust.
   Aikakousk, 37 , 127 (1965).


7. R. Nawaz and H. Sorenson, Phyto-
   chemistry, 16 , 599 (1977).
   8. G. R. Jamieson and E. H. Reid,
   Phytochemistry, 10 , 1575 (1971).
   9. A. M. Rizk,The Phytochemistry of the
   Flora of Qatar, Scientific and Applied
   Research Centre, University of Qatar,
   Doha, 1987, p. 26.


8. A. Pieroni et al.,Phytother. Res., 16 , 467
   (2002).


9. P. M. Guarrera, Fitoterapia, 74 , 515
   (2003).


10. F. Kuginuki and T. Nanba, Jpn. J.
    Pharmacol., 47 , 182 (1993).

CHICLE

Source: Manilkara zapota(L.) P. Royen
(syn.M. zapotilla(Jacq.) Gilly;M. achras
(Mill.) Fosb.;Sapota achrasMill.;Achras
sapota L.; A. zapotilla (Jacq.) Nutt.)
(Family Sapotaceae).

Common name:Chicle.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

An evergreen tree with shiny leaves, up to
about 33 m high; native to Central America
and the Yucutan Peninsula of Mexico; now
extensively cultivated in the tropics for its
edible fruit (naseberryorsapodilla). Part used
is thelatex present in thebark, pith, andleaves;
it is collected by making multiple incisions
in the trunk and dried by careful boiling to

remove excess water. Crude chicle is purified

by repeatedly washing with strong alkali and

neutralizing with sodium acid phosphate, fol-

lowed by drying and powdering. The resulting

product is a water-insoluble, amorphous pow-

der that softens on heating.1,2

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

Crude chicle contains 15–20% hydrocarbons

that are polyisoprenes (mixture of low molec-

ular weightcis-1,4 andtrans-1,4 units in an

approximately2:7ratio);upto55%ofayellow

resin, consisting primarily of lupeol acetate

with minor amounts ofb-amyrin anda-spi-

nasterol acetates; also, taraxasterol and other

triterpene alcohol acetates; a gum composed

of a (1!4)-linked xylan backbone highly

substitutedwitholigosaccharidechains;sugar;

inorganic salts; and others (KARRER).1–9

188 Chicle