Jesko Lychee – The Taste of Summer Fields

Jesko Lychee - Red skin of sunlight, cool flesh of early summer sweetness.

Lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.), belonging to the Sapindaceae family, is a fruit valued for its fragrance, sweetness, and translucent aril texture. Widely consumed in both fresh and processed forms, lychee is used to produce juices, wines, honey, vinegars, candies, preserved pulp, and premium dessert preparations [1].

The lychee originated in Southern China and Northern Vietnam, with cultivation documented for over three millennia[1]. In imperial China, the lychee was considered a luxury tribute fruit, cherished in poetry, court exchange, and seasonal celebration.

Over time, trade routes carried the lychee to: Southeast Asia, India, Africa, Australia, The Americas

Yet the cultural meaning of the lychee remains tied to its ancestral landscapes:
summer, festivity, abundance, and warmth.

Ecology & Growth Conditions

Lychee is a medium-sized evergreen tree (10–15 m) with a rounded canopy and leathery leaves. Its growth and flowering cycles depend strongly on climate rhythms[1].

Environmental Requirements

Seasonal Sensitivity

Lychee is highly sensitive to:

• Frost
• Drought
• Sudden shifts in temperature
• Pollinator scarcity

Its successful harvest, therefore, reflects environmental harmony and careful cultivation timing.

Nutrition Facts – Raw Lychee (per 100 g) [2].
Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC ID 169086) 

Lychee pulp is mostly water, natural sugars, and nutrients essential to metabolic health [1].

Per 190 g edible portion:

• Vitamin C: ~150% of recommended daily intake
• Carbohydrates: 31–32 g (clean energy)
• Copper, Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus: Present in supportive amounts
• Dietary Fiber: Supports digestive balance
• B vitamins: Play a role in cellular energy metabolism

This composition makes lychee hydrating, replenishing, and restorative, especially during warm seasons.

Health Benefits

Lychee is recognized for diverse bioactive compounds, especially polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins, known for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties [1].

Key Functional Benefits

Traditional medicine uses leaves, seeds, and pericarp for relieving heat, aiding digestion, and reducing swelling [1].

Biochemistry & Fruit Color

The lychee’s red pericarp comes from anthocyanins, especially cyanidin-3-rutinoside and cyanidin-3-glucoside, synthesized through the phenylpropanoid pathway[1].

However, these pigments are highly sensitive to:

• Oxygen exposure
• Enzymatic oxidation
• Dehydration

After harvest, browning is caused largely by polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activity [1].

To preserve color, firmness, and flavor, export-quality lychee requires:

• Rapid pre-cooling
• Cold storage around 2°C
• Humidity control
• Chitosan or organic acid coating
• Modified atmosphere packaging

These methods maintain lychee’s natural freshness during long-distance export.

Toxicology & Consumption Considerations

Lychee is safe and nutritious for general consumption.
However:

• A small number of individuals may be sensitive to plant profilin proteins, resulting in mild allergy.
• In undernourished children consuming lychee on an empty stomach, there is risk of temporary hypoglycemia due to carbohydrate depletion [1].

For healthy individuals eating lychee as part of normal meals, these risks do not apply.

Cultural Warmth

The lychee is a fruit of season and patience.

It grows slowly, ripens only when the season is right, and carries with it the character of soil, sunlight, and human care.
When we share lychee, we share the warmth of the fields and the hands that tended them.

Jesko Lychee protects that story.

From orchard to cool house, from selection to packaging, from ship to market,
we preserve the tenderness, fragrance, and summer sweetness the fruit was born with.

This is not simply trade.
This is connection
between place and people,
between growers and those who receive the fruit.

Jesko Lychee is the taste of summer fields, carried forward with respect.

Grown With Hands, Shared With Heart

• Lychee develops slowly and ripens only when the season is right.
• Its flavor reflects the soil, sunlight, and care from the orchard.
• Harvesting is done by trained hands, choosing fruit at perfect sweetness.
• Jesko preserves this quality through cold-chain handling and gentle packing.
• What we deliver is not only fruit, but the warmth of the fields and the people who nurture them.

Jesko – Your Trust is Our Foundation

References

[1] Anjum, J., Lone, R., & Wani, K. A. (2017). Lychee (Litchi chinensis): Biochemistry, Panacea, and Nutritional Value. In M. Kumar et al. (Eds.), Lychee Disease Management (pp. 237–254). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4247-8_14

[2] [2] U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. (2024). FoodData Central: Lychees, raw (FDC ID: 168168). https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food/168168