Longan 'capable of preventing cancer'
A researcher from Chiang Mai University (CMU) has discovered many advantageous properties of dried longan that could signal a new way to promote the fruit.
Assoc Prof Dr Usanee Viwitketkumnuen's independent research, funded by the Thailand Research Fund (TFR), found that dried longan has the potential to reduce the risk of intestinal cancer and leukaemia, and also contains antioxidants and skin-lightening compounds."Currently I am working on an experiment on longan's skin-lightening properties. Those who have used a trial facial cream containing lightening compounds extracted from longan have expressed great satisfaction with the results," Dr Usanee said, adding that this gave the fruit great potential as a new source for skin-lightening compounds. Dr Usanee, a lecturer at the Department of Biochemistry in CMU's Faculty of Medicine, said her research also proved that fresh longan does not contain any chemical residue. Consumers fear that traces of potassium chlorate, used by growers to stimulate fruit production, remain in fresh longan. Dried longan contains a high concentration of antioxidants as a result of the thermo-modification process, which transforms the chemical structure of longan to produce higher levels of antioxidants and other useful compounds. After getting her findings patented, Dr Usanee intends to use them to benefit local growers as much as possible. "Naturally, longan helps people cope with insomnia and stress and can be used as sexual tonic. With this research, we can appreciate the value of longan more and help to initiate an increase in the price of the fruit to help local growers cope with surplus and low prices," she suggested. Dried longan is already widely consumed in China, where processed longan has been used in traditional medicines for a long time, and also in Japan and Korea. Usanee said government support was needed to effectively disseminate the new knowledge to growers and increase the value of longan. Thailand should waste no time in transforming longan into value-added products and launch them before other countries, she said. The mobile cabinet approved the construction of a standard factory for processing longan in the near future and Dr Usanee hopes her findings will enable it to produce new longan products over the next few years. Dr Usanee's findings will be presented to Thai and foreign medical and health-related workers at the International Medical Meeting in Chiang Mai from next Tuesday to Thursday. She will give a half-hour talk on "Colon Cancer Prevention" at 9.30am on Wednesday. Atsadaporn Kamthai, Linda Ratchai Citylife Chiang Mai
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