Common Names: Breadfruit, ulu (Hawaiian), sukun (Indonesian)
Local Names: Berefurutu (Solomon Islands), Jaloke (Philippines), Kuru (Tahitian)
Species ID: NMP-010 | wfo-0000550425 | NCBI:txid194251

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Tracheophytes

Clade: Angiosperms

Clade: Eudicots

Clade: Rosids

Order: Rosales

Family: Moraceae

Genus: Artocarpus

Species: A. altilis

Synonyms: Artocarpus communis J.R.Forst. & G.Forst., Artocarpus incisus (Thunb.) L.f.

A large evergreen tree reaching 25-30m height with milky latex in all parts:

·       Leaves: Pinnately lobed (30-50cm long), 10-20 lobes per leaf, glossy adaxial surface

·       Flowers: Monoecious; male inflorescences (15-30cm) with 2000+ flowers, female spikes (5-20cm)

·       Fruit: Syncarpium (10-30cm diameter), 1500-2000 fused flowers, 0.5-6kg weight

·       Bark: Gray-brown with lenticels, exfoliating in thin flakes (5-10mm thick)

Native to the Indo-Malayan Archipelago (5°N-10°S latitude), now pantropical:

·       Optimal Conditions: 1500-3000mm annual rainfall, temperatures 16-38°C, volcanic soils (pH 5.5-7.0)

·       Historical Spread: Captain Bligh's 1789 voyage introduced 677 plants to the Caribbean

·       Ecological Role: Supports 150+ arthropod species including pollinator Eupristina wasps

·       Antimicrobial: Latex flavonoids (artocarpin) inhibit Staphylococcus aureus (MIC 62μg/ml)

·       Skin Treatment: The latex of the tree is used to treat skin infections and fungal diseases.

·       Antidiabetic: Leaf extract reduces blood glucose by 35% in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

·       Insect Repellent: The crushed leaves can be used as a mosquito repellent.

·       Reducing Inflammation: In some traditional medicine systems, various parts of the plant are used to reduce inflammation.

·       Treat Illnesses: The bark and leaves have been used to treat illnesses like diarrhea, stomachaches, and ear infections in some cultures.

⚠  Toxicity Profile

Raw fruit contains artocarpin (0.15% FW) causing nausea (ED₅₀ 850mg/kg in mice). Latex proteases induce contact dermatitis in 12% of handlers (Jones et al., 2018).

·       Nutrition: 27% carbohydrates, 1.5% protein, 70kcal/100g (boiled); glycemic index 58

·       Timber: Density 560kg/m³, Janka hardness 950 lbf, resistant to marine borers

·       Industrial: Latex used as adhesive (shear strength 3.2MPa); starch for bioplastics

1. Sikarwar, M. S., Hui, B. J., Subramaniam, K., Valeisamy, B. D., Yean, L. K., & Balaji, K. (2014). A review on Artocarpus altilis. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science, 4(8), 91-97. https://doi.org/10.7324/JAPS.2014.40815
2. Ragone, D. (2018). Breadfruit: Traditional Polynesian Crop & Future Food Security. Economic Botany, 72(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-018-9407-5
3. Jones, A. M., et al. (2018). Phytochemical analysis of breadfruit latex. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 215, 228-235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2018.01.002

1. CABI Compendium
2. Singapore Flora Database
3. Feedipedia Nutritional Profile
4. JSTOR Global Plants

• Piperonal
• Phytol acetate
• Octadecanoic acid
• n-Hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester
• Neral
• Palmitic Acid
• Farnesol
• 1,2,4,5-Tetramethylbenzene
• Acetic acid
• Octanoic acid
• Methyl Stearate
• Methyl acetate
• Methyl 12-hydroxyoctadecanoate
• Methyl palmitate
• 2,3-Dihydroxypropyl acetate
• 8-Oxabicyclo[5.1.0]oct-5-en-2-ol, 1,4,4-trimethyl
• 7,11-Dimethyldodeca-2,6,10-trien-1-ol
• 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone
• Megastigmatrienone
• 4-(3-Hydroxy-2,2,6-trimethyl-7-oxa-bicyclo[4.1.0]hept-1-yl)-but-3-en-2-one
• Coniferyl alcohol
• 3,7,11,15-Tetramethyl-1,6,10,14-hexadecatetraen-3-ol
• 3, 7-dimethyl-2, 6-octadienal
• 2-Propyn-1-ol
• 2-Hydroxy-2-cyclopenten-1-one
• 2-Hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl)ethyl ester
• 2,6,10-trimethyl,14-ethylene-14-pentadecne
• 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol

Mainasara, M. M., Bakar, M. F. A., & Barau, A. I. (2019). GC-MS analysis of phytochemical constituents from ethyl acetate and methanol extract of Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg from Endau Rompin, Johor, Malaysia. Traektoriâ Nauki= Path of Science, 5(5), 3001-3010.