Sugar apple
The sugar apple or sweetsop is the edible fruit of Annona squamosa,[1] the most widely grown species of Annona and a native of tropical climate in the Americas and West Indies. Spanish traders aboard the Manila galleons docking in the Philippines brought it to Asia.[2] The fruit is spherical-conical, 5–10 centimetres (2–4 inches) in diameter and 6–10 cm (2+1⁄4–4 in) long, and weighing 100–240 grams (3.5–8.5 ounces), with a thick rind composed of knobby segments. The color is typically pale green through blue-green, with a deep pink blush in certain varieties, and typically has a bloom. It is unique among Annona fruits in being segmented; the segments tend to separate when ripe, exposing the interior.
The flesh is fragrant and sweet, creamy white through light yellow, and resembles and tastes like custard. The seeds are coated with the flesh, It is found adhering to 13-to-16-millimetre-long (1⁄2 to 5⁄8 in) seeds forming individual segments arranged in a single layer around a conical core. It is soft, slightly grainy, and slippery. The hard, shiny seeds may number 20–40 or more per fruit and have a brown to black coat, although varieties exist that are almost seedless.[2][3] The seeds can be ground for use as an insecticide.[1]The stems run through the center of the fruit connecting it to the outside. The skin is shaped like a Reuleaux triangle colored green and rough in texture. Due to the soft flesh and structure of the sugar apple it is very fragile to pressure when ripe.
New varieties are also being developed in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The atemoya or "pineapple sugar-apple", a hybrid between the sugar-apple and the cherimoya, is popular in Taiwan, although it was first developed in the United States in 1908. The fruit is similar in sweetness to the sugar-apple, but has a very different taste. As its name suggests, it tastes like pineapple.
Nutrition and uses
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 393 kJ (94 kcal) |
23.64 g | |
| Dietary fiber | 4.4 g |
0.29 g | |
2.06 g | |
| Vitamins | Quantity %DV† |
| Thiamine (B1) | 10% 0.11 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 9% 0.113 mg |
| Niacin (B3) | 6% 0.883 mg |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 5% 0.226 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 15% 0.2 mg |
| Folate (B9) | 4% 14 μg |
| Vitamin C | 44% 36.3 mg |
| Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
| Calcium | 2% 24 mg |
| Iron | 5% 0.6 mg |
| Magnesium | 6% 21 mg |
| Manganese | 20% 0.42 mg |
| Phosphorus | 5% 32 mg |
| Potassium | 5% 247 mg |
| Sodium | 1% 9 mg |
| Zinc | 1% 0.1 mg |
| |
| †Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA FoodData Central | |
Sugar-apple is high in energy, an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese, a good source of thiamine and vitamin B6, and provides vitamin B2, B3 B5, B9, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium in fair quantities.[4]
For uses of other fruit from the custard-apple genus, see:
- Atemoya (a hybrid between A. squamosa and A. cherimoya)
- Cherimoya
- Custard-apple
Gallery
Sugar apple in Tamil Nadu, India
Sugar apple (right), with Taiwanese "pineapple shijia" (atemoya) (left)_interior.jpg.webp)
The sugar apple readily breaks open when ripe.
A deconstruction of a sugar apple shows a lobe of fruit and pulpy segments with seeds.
A sugar apple ready to eat_seeds.jpg.webp)
Sugar apple (Annona squamosa) seeds
Red sugar apples from Myanmar
Sugar apples in Taitung, Taiwan
Sugar apple tree in Philippines
Two sugar apples in Bangladesh
A sugar apple in tree in Terai of Nepal
See also
References
- The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants. United States Department of the Army. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. 2009. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-60239-692-0. OCLC 277203364.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - Morton, Julia (1987). "Annona squamosa". Fruits of warm climates. p. 69. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- "Annona squamosa". AgroForestryTree Database. Archived from the original on 14 March 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- "Benefits of Custard apple". 22 December 2014.
