Family • Sapotaceae

Tiesa
Pouteria campechiana (HBK) Baehni
EGG FRUIT

Scientifric names Common names

Pouteria campechiana (HBK) Baehni Tiesa (Tag.)
Lucuma nervosa A. DC. Boracho (Span.)
Lucuma campechiana Kunth Chesa (Engl.)
Lucuma salicifolia Kunth Egg fruit (Engl.)
Egg fruit tree (Engl.)
Canistel (Engl.)
Yellow zapote (Engl.)
Yiessas (Engl.)

Other vernacular names

CZECH : Sapota žlutá.
GERMAN : Gelbe Sapote.
JAPANESE: Kanisuteru.
COUNTRY: Name
SPANISH : Atzapotl (fruit), Atzapolquahuitl (tree), Caca de niño, Cakixo, Canistel, Canizte, Costiczapotl,
Cucumu, Custiczapotl, Fruta de huevo, Hantzé, Huevo vegetal, Huicon, Huicumo, Kanis, Kaniste,
Kanixte, Kanizte, Kantez, Limoncillo, Mamey cerera, Mamey cerilla, Mamee ciruela, Mamey de
Campechi, Mamey de Cartagena, Mammee sapota, Palo huicon, Sapote amarillo, Siguapa, Zapote
amarilla, Zapote amarillo, Zapote de niño, Zapote borracho, Zapote mante, Zubul; guaicume, guicume,
Zapotillo, Zapotillo amarillo, Zapotillo de montana, Zapote de niño.
THAI: Lamud, Lamut kaymon, Lamut khamen.
VIETNAMESE : Trái trứng gà.

Botany
Tiesa is an erect tree growing to a height of 15 to 20 meters. Leaves are alternative, smooth, dark green,
elliptic to narrow-obovate with entire margins. Flowers are greenish white, in axillary clusters. Pedicels
are long. Fruit is extremely variable in size and form, oval, subglobose, pear-shaped or spindle-shaped,
with or without an pointed apex or curved beak, yellow-orange when ripe with an edible sweet and meat
pulp.

Distribution
- Indigenous to South America.
- Introduced to the Philippines during the Spanish times.
- Cultivated for its edible fruit and as shade tree.
Constituents
- Phytochemical screening of seeds yielded leucoanthocyanins, hydrolyzable tannins, saponins and
glycoside. (8)
- Food value per 100 g of edible portion: Calories, 138.8; protein, 1.68 g; fat, 0.13 g; carbohydrates,
36.69 g, calcium, 26.5 mg; calcium, 26.5 mg; iron, 0.92 mg; thiamine, 0.17 mg, riboflavin, 0.01 mg,
niacin, 3.72 mg, ascorbic acid, 58.1 mg; amino acids, tryptophan 28 mg, methionine 13 mg, lysine 84
mg.
- Ethyl acetate extract of leaves yielded six stilbenes and six flavonoid glycosides. (See study below) (2)

Parts used
Bark, seeds.

Uses
Nutrition
- Fruit is edible; eaten out of hand, laced with lime or lemon juice.
- Rich in niacin and carotene with a fair amount of vitamin C
- In other countries, fruit used for jams, marmalades and flavoring for ice cream.
Folkloric
- In Mexico, decoction of astringent bark used for
fevers.
- In Cuba, decoction of bark used for skin eruptions ;
seeds used for ulcers; the fruits for anemia.
- Used as remedy for coronary problems, liver
disorders, epilepsy, skin diseases, and ulcers.

Others
Latex: In Central American, latex extracted from the
tree used to adulterate chicle.
Timber: Strong, hard and heavy; valued for plank and
rafter making.
Pharmaceutical: In the 70s, seed derivative
investigated for its activity against seborrheic
dermatitis o the scalp; the study was stalled by the
difficulty of procuring sufficient seeds for the study.

Studies
• Antimitotic: Study yielded six stilbenes and six flavonoid glycosides. Stilbenes have been shown to
exhibit a wide range of biologic activities: anti-HIV, antitumor, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial and
hepatoprotective. The distilbene ampelopsin B was found to arrest mitosis in a cell-based primary
screen. (2)
• Polyphenolic antioxidants: Fresh fruit yielded seven polyphenolic antioxidants were isolated from
Pouteria species. Highest activity was found in P sapota and lowest in P campechiana. (3)
• Seborrheic Dermatitis: In the 70s, preliminary findings of a study showed it to be active against
seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp.
• Antibacterial: Study on the stem of Pouteria campechiana showed slight activity against E coli and P
aeruginosa, the fungi C albicans and T mentagrophytes. They were inactive against S aureus, B subtilis
and A niger. (5)
• Immunomodulatory: Study of the methanolic extract of stem bark of Pouteria cambodiana showed a
potent immunological effect with a good dose-dependent effect in peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis
and activated lysosomal enzyme activity. (6)
• Antibacterial: Study evaluated the antibacterial activity of P. campechiana seed against E. coli and S.
aureus. The seeds showed higher zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus than E. coli, but
significantly lower than control. (8)
• Hepatoprotective / Acetaminophen-Induced Toxicity: Study evaluated a fruit extract of
polyphenolic-rich P. campechiana for antioxidant and hepatoprotective effect against acetaminophen-
intoxicated rats. Results showed concentration-dependent scavenging of free radicals. Treatment
significantly reduced elevated liver marker enzymes, with restoration of normal functional ability of
hepatocytes. Results showed strong antioxidant and significant hepatoprotective effect. (9)
• Antioxidant / Fruit Pulp and Peel: Study evaluated seeds, pulp, and peel of Pouteria campechiana
fruit for total phenolics and antioxidant capacities. Pulp and peel ethanol extracts showed high
antioxidant activities, but not the seeds. Results suggest pulp and peel can be use as a natural source of
antioxidant components. (10)

Availability
Wild-crafted.
Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Canistel / Pouteria campechiana Baehni / Morton, J. 1987. Canistel. p. 402–405. In: Fruits
of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL.
(2)
Isolation and Evaluation of Antimitotic Activity of Phenolic Compounds from Pouteria
campechiana Baehni. / Christina Hernandez et al / Philippine Journal of Science ISSN
0031-7683
(3)
Analysis of Polyphenolic Antioxidants from the Fruits of Three Pouteria Species by
Selected Ion Monitoring Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Juan Ma et al / J.
Agric. Food Chem., 2004, 52 (19), pp 5873–5878 DOI: 10.1021/jf049950k
(4)
Canistel / Pouteria campechiana Baehni / Morton, J. 1987. Canistel. p. 402–405. In: Fruits
of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL.
(5)
Isolation, Structure Elucidation and Antimicrobial Assay of Secondary Metabolites from Six
Philippine Medicinal Plants / Consolacion Ragasa / De La Salle University, Manila
(6)
In vitro immunomodulatory effect of Pouteria cambodiana (Pierre ex Dubard) Baehni
extract / A Manosroi, A Saraphanchotiwitthaya, J Manosroi / Journal of
Ethnopharmacology 101 (2005) 90–94
(7)
Sorting Pouteria names / Authorised by Prof. Snow Barlow / Maintained by: Michel H.
Porcher / MULTILINGUAL MULTISCRIPT PLANT NAME DATABASE / Copyright © 1997
- 2000 The University of Melbourne.
(8)
Phytochemical Screening of Canistel (Pouteria campechiana) / Evie Care M. Villacrusis /
Department of Science and Technology.
(9)
Antioxidant and hepatoprotective potential of Pouteria campechiana on acetaminophen-
induced hepatic toxicity in rats / Aseervatham GS, Sivasudha T, Sasikumar JM, Christabel
PH, Jeyadevi R, Ananth DA / Journal of physiology and biochemistry : 2013 Jul 20 pg
(10)
Total phenolics and antioxidant activities of Pouteria campechiana fruit parts / Kong K.W,
Khoo H.E, Prasad K.N, Chew L.Y, Ismail A / Sains Malaysiana, 01/2013; 42(2):123-127.