SACHA INCHI

Description

Sacha inchi is a perennial plant with somewhat hairy leaves.  The plant reaches a height of 2 m (6′ 6″), with alternate, heart shaped, serrated leaves, 10 to 12 cm long (4″-4.7″) and 8 to 10 cm (3.1-3.9″) wide, that have petioles 2–6 cm (0.8-2.3″) long. It flowers five months after being planted, and bears seeds around the eighth month. The male flowers are small, white, and arranged in clusters. Two female flowers are located at the base of the inflorescence.

The fruits are capsules of 3 to 5 cm in diameter with 4 to 7 points, are green and ripen blackish brown. On ripening, the fruits contain a soft black wet pulp that is messy and inedible, so are normally left to dry on the plant before harvest.  Fruit capsules usually consist of four to five lobes, but some may have up to seven. Inside are the seeds, oval, dark-brown, 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter and 45 to 100 grams of weight.

Appearance

The seeds of sacha inchi have high protein (27%) and oil (35 – 60%) content, and the oil is rich in the essential fatty acids omega-3 linolenic acid (≈45-53% of total fat content) and omega-6 linoleic acid (≈34-39% of fat content), as well as non-essential omega-9 (≈6-10% of fat content).

Color: dark brown

Use: food

Origin: Vietnam

Packing: in PP bag or as requirement of customer.