The sugar apple is a tropical fruit that originates in South America and is known by various names including anón, anona blanca, noi-na, fruta do conde and achta, each according to the country where it’s found.
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Sugar-apples are extremely sweet fruits with a distinct aroma of ripened pineapple and pear. They are usually sold in medium to large sizes, although small golf-size fruits can also be found. Upon reaching maturity fruits develop a delicious custard-like pulp with slightly grainy texture and hard black seeds.
Best places to buy sugar-apples are exotic fruit markets or online vendors that import tropical fruits. It’s best, however, to source these fruits personally in stores or at markets as opposed to purchasing online.
As with other tropical fruits, the sugar apple is not ripe until very soft, almost to the point you think it’s too soft, which means there is a higher risk of receiving spoiled fruits when buying from online retailers.
Nutrition information for 100 grams raw sugar-apples
The fruit is weight-loss positive, while also scoring good points for gaining and maintaining optimum health. It contains dietary fiber, is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, but is a good source of various minerals and vitamins.
Sugar apples provide 94 calories per 100 grams serving size. They contain 2.1 grams protein, 23.6 grams carbohydrates, of which 4.4 grams represent dietary fiber, and 73.2 grams water. And here is the vitamins-and-minerals content present in the same amount of fruit serving.
Vitamins Minerals
Vitamin A 6.0 IU Calcium 24.0 mg
Vitamin C 36.3 mg Iron 0.6 mg
Thiamin 0.1 mg Magnesium 21.0 mg
Riboflavin 0.1 mg Phosphorus 32.0 mg
Niacin 0.9 mg Potassium 247 mg
Vitamin B6 0.2 mg Sodium 9.0 mg
Folate 14.0 mcg Zinc 0.1 mg
Pantothenic acid 0.2 mg Copper 0.1 mg
Selenium 0.6 mcg
Benefits of consuming sugar apples or anón fruits
Number one reason to consume sugar apple is, of course, the tasty experience. This is a sweet fruit bursting with flavor. It has a soft and creamy flesh that feels milky texture-wise and it delivers an overall fantastic tasting experience.
It also comes with an abundance of health benefits, the fruit having been used as medicine throughout South America, the West Indies and other regions in Asia for many years. It isn’t just a popular fruit that people enjoy fresh, but also consumed to improve certain conditions.
Some of the health benefits that sugar apples provide are:
- Potential prevention and aiding of asthma and type-2 diabetes: a good source of vitamin C and dietary fiber, the sugar apple can decrease the risk of developing asthma and type-2 diabetes when consumed regularly. Vitamin C is one of the most potent antioxidants while dietary fiber constitutes an essential substance that helps control sugar levels in the body.
- Promoting heart health and lowering blood pressure levels: rich in vitamin B6 and potassium, the sugar apple promotes healthy heart and helps keep heart healthy by preventing the amino acid homocysteine from accumulating in the blood.
- Maintaining healthy skin and hair: a good source of different health-relevant nutrients, the sugar apple can delay the aging process, promoting youthful-looking skin and encouraging shiny hair. Both consuming and directly applying the fruit onto skin is effective in treating skin issues.
- Strengthening the bones and vision: a very good source of vitamin A, sugar apples keep the eyes strong and improve vision, while also promoting strong bones and delivering magnesium to the body, which along with calcium increases bone density.
- Preventing pregnancy issues: the sugar apple contains folate, which is one of the three B vitamins in the B-vitamin family and an important nutrient that encourages healthy pregnancy and prevents issues such as neural tube defects or spina bifida, known to affect the baby.