Litchi

Lychee is the fruit of the tree Litchi chinensis, the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. The tree is a tall evergreen that bears small fleshy sweet fruits. The skin is green when immature, ripening to red or pink-red. The rind is inedible but easily removed to expose a layer of translucent white flesh. The fleshy, edible portion of the fruit is an aril, surrounding one dark brown inedible seed.

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Chemistry

The sweetness of the flesh is primarily due to sucrose, glucose, and fructose, while malic and citric acids provide acidity. A total of 556 volatile organic compounds have been reported from litchi fruit. The aroma of litchi is mainly determined by the content and composition of monoterpenoids and alcohols. Sulfur-containing volatile compounds possibly impart a special flavor to litchi fruit.

The aroma-active compounds of the flesh include the monoterpenes linalool, geraniol, nerol, limonene and cis-rose oxide, together with furaneol, methional and sulfur volatiles such as dimethyl trisulfide.

Cultivation

Litchi chinensis subsp. chinensis is the only commercialized lychee. It grows wild in southern China, northern Vietnam, and Cambodia. China is the main producer of lychees, followed by India, Vietnam, other countries in Southeast Asia, other countries in South Asia, Madagascar, and South Africa. Since the floral flavor is lost in the process of canning, the fruit is usually eaten fresh. Lychee seeds contain methylene cyclopropyl glycine, which has caused hypoglycemia associated with outbreaks of encephalopathy in undernourished Indian and Vietnamese children who consumed lychee fruit.