Alligator pepper, Grains Of Paradise or melegueta (maniquetta) pepper as it is often known, is a popular culinary and medicinal plant in West Africa. There are a number of different types and the names are often used interchangeably so it is difficult at times to pin down the type of pepper spice that is being bought. The peppers are especially popular with certain tribes in Nigeria, Guinea and Ghana. The pod and its seeds have a texture and appearance – the skin enclosing the seeds is paper-like, and when the seeds show through give the impression of an alligator’s back, hence the name.
The pepper comes from three herbaceous perennial plants which grow in wetlands. These are Aframomum species – A. danielli, A. citratum and A. exscapum and the pepper is sold as the whole pod.
The genus belongs to the Ginger or Zingiberaceae family and is also known as Guinea pepper, hepper pepper or mbongo spice. The Yoruba call it Atare, the Ibo, ose-oji and the Hausa, chitta. It is an importnat cash crop in some of these countries.
There is a similar plant called Aframomum melegueta (Roscoe) or ‘grains of paradise’ but only the seeds are available. Mbongo pepper which is more perfumed and floral in aroma comes only from the seeds and is taken from A. danielli and A. citratum. The pepper from A. exscapum is less popular because it lacks some of the fragrant notes.
All species contain many bioactives in their seeds and leaves, acting in different ways to bring about human health benefits. It could also be Africa’s favourite spice although it isn’t that well known outside of the continent.
The Essential Oil Of Aframomum melegueta
The essential oil was isolated from the seeds of Aframomum melegueta (Roscoe) K. Schum. by hydrodistillation. The oil was characterized by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) (Ajaiyeoba et al., 1999). A total of 27 compounds constituting 98.6% of the volatile oil were identified. Two sesquiterpene hydrocarbons: humulene and caryophyllene made up 82.6% of the volatile oil, whilst their oxides amounted to a further 9.0%. Seventeen other mono- and sesquiterpenes accounted for only 1% of the volatile oil. Five non-terpenoids were detected in trace amounts only (<0.2%). Of the 27 constituents identified, 12 were reported as components of A. melegueta for the first time.
Culinary Use
In West African cooking, it has a hot spicy taste and perfumed aroma and must be used sparingly because of its strong pungency. It is popularly used in West African soups and stews especially the famous pepper pot stew.
The grains of paradise are also used to flavour vegetables having a similar pungency to pepper, cinnamon or black cardamom. It is a useful flavour enhancer with squashes, pumpkin, okra and potatoes. The pepper deserves wider use although it will be a matter of taste to many.
Cultural Use
Alligator pepper is used in the welcoming process for a baby when it is born into the Yoruba culture. A small amount of this pepper is given to them to taste a few minutes after their birth. It is also used as a traditional wedding gift in the same culture.
In the Igbo culture, alligator pepper is given to guests to be chewed with kola nut, in the naming ceremonies. Because of the hot spicy taste, it enhances or reduces the bitter taste from the kola nut.
Health Benefits Of Alligator Pepper
Alligator pepper has been used since ancient times. It is claimed to have various health benefits such as:-
♥ the seeds help with digestion and to calm diarrhoea
♥ to combat dysentry
♦ leaves used to cure for malaria fever
♥ seed extracts used to treat wounds and prevent infection
♦ the seeds act as a protection against accidents when swallowed (cultural), and before setting off on a journey although the evidence is circumstantial.
♦ the seeds generate euphoria and ‘improve the state of drunkenness’. There is some evidence for protecting the liver against the deleterious effects of alcohol (Nwozo and Oviloye, 2011).
Much of the evidence for these effects is in its early phases. There is no total analysis on the pepper’s composition but may be similar to ginger. The pepper may have some anti-diabetic activity. It is thought to improve infertility in men.
There are concerns about its toxicity. A rat study indicated that when fed with the pepper, they did not produce any litters (Inegbenebor et al., 2009a and b). It is also used to terminate pregnancy (abortifacient) in some cultures (Inegbenebor, 2008; Inegbenebor et al., 2009c)) but is also associated with minimising the impact of preeclampsia. Further evidence is required however to establish an ADI and a NOEL level.
The extracts of alligator pepper show antimicrobial activity against a range of microorganisms which suggest its potential as a novel ingredient in this area (Ngwoke et al., 2014).
1st revision 23/01/2015
References
Ajaiyeoba, E. O. and Ekundayo, O. (1999), Essential oil constituents of Aframomum melegueta (Roscoe) K. Schum. seeds (alligator pepper) from Nigeria. Flavour Fragr. J., 14 pp. 109–111. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1026(199903/04)14:2<109::AID-FFJ775>3.0.CO;2-M
Inegbenebor, U. (2008). Prevention of abortion-dependent maternal mortality in Nigeria. Health Articles http//www.weathat.com. Accessed on 23/01/2015.
Inegbenebor, U., Ebomoyi, M.I., Onyia, K.A., Amadi, K., Aigbiremolen, A.E. (2009a) Effect of alligator pepper (Zingiberaceae Aframomum melegueta) on first trimester pregnancy in Sprague Dawley rats. Nigerian J. Physiol. Sci., 24(2) pp. 161-164
____________________________________________________(2009b). Effect of Alligator Pepper (Zingaberaciae Aframomum meligueta) on Gestational Weight Gain. Nigerian J. Physiol. Sci. 24(2) pp. 165-69. PMID: 20234759
__________., Amadi, K., Ebomoyi, M., Onyia, K. (2009c) Abortifacient properties of alligator pepper (Aframomum melegueta) seeds. J. Pharm. Biores. 6 (2) http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jpb.v6i2.63327
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