Papua is famous for its red fruit which has many benefits and benefits for the community. But who would have thought that there is one more fruit that is not inferior to the red fruit, which is the fruit of Woromo. Woromo fruit that comes from the pandanus family (Pandaneceae) has several local names such as karu, hiap, helak, owadak, and forest coconut as reported by Imagipapua.com. Woromo is a Papuan endemic plant originating from the central mountain region.
When viewed from the texture, this fruit is almost similar to some fruits that are familiar to us such as jackfruit, breadfruit and durian because it has the same texture, which has thin thorny skin. The only difference is that Woromo’s flesh is tougher.
There are also two main components in Woromo’s fruits, namely seeds and fruit flesh.
For the seeds component, it has a hard shell and has a aroma that contains water in fresh fruit and a savory taste. This Woromo seed can be consumed in fresh physical form or burned. If burned, this fruit will emit a very distinctive aroma. While Woromo’s flesh is useful as food in daily life of the indigenous people of the central mountains of Papua.
This meat is white, yellowish white to orange with a distinctive aroma.
With a smooth texture to a bit hard, Woromo meat has a savory taste. This fruit flesh is reportedly never marketed until now only consumed by farmers when the harvest season arrives. To get this fruit, farmers usually enter the forest for 2-3 months for cultivation.
A researcher from Papua named Dr. Been Kogoya, SP, MMA, in an article in kabarpapua.co has examined the bioactive content of Woromo’s fruit. The results also say this fruit can increase its economic potential, as it can be processed into Woromo oil, capsules and soap. Containing unsaturated fatty acids consisting of oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitate, total omega -9, total omega -6, total omega -3, monounsaturated fat (MUFA), polyunsaturated fat (PUFA), DHA and EPA, this fruit has a lot of benefits.
Woromo fruit which is extracted into oil or processed into capsules has properties to treat heart disease, cholesterol, gout, osteoporosis, cancer, tumors, hypertension, ulcers, and others. With its many benefits, Dr. Been Kogoya is in preparation to produce a larger amount.
If it is well developed, of course the Woromo fruit can help the economy of the people of Papua and help treat some diseases.
