Adventure Bites and GoogleFu: Cherimoya

 

Have you had cherimoya? We picked this up at the natural market this weekend to try. It's a bit like a cross between a pear and a banana. It's got a soft creamy texture and it's delicious. They do have a lot of big seeds, and I read that the seeds are not edible, so that make it a little difficult to eat. 

According to my good friend Google, the cherimoya has many health benefits. I'm a little suspicious about the heath benefits of fruit that's traveled so far before it reaches my lips, but I'll play along: 

Health benefits of cherimoya: 

• Very sweet and pleasant flavor annonas contain an impressive list of essential nutrients, vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals

• The fruit has calories equivalent to that of mangoes. 100 g of fresh fruit pulp provide about 75 calories. It is, however, contain no saturated fats or cholesterol. It characteristically contains a good amount of dietary fiber (3 g per100 g) that helps prevent absorption of cholesterol in the gut. The fiber also helps protect the mucous membrane of the colon from exposure to toxic substances by binding cancer-causing chemicals in the colon.
  

• Cherimoya contains several poly-phenolic antioxidants. Among them, the most prominent in annona family fruits are Annonaceous acetogenins. Acetogenin compounds such as asimicin, bullatacinare...etc are powerful cytotoxins and have been found to have anti-cancer, anti-malarial, and anti-helminthes properties.
  
  
• It is very good in vitamin-C. Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of fruits rich in vitamin C helps the human body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body.
  

• In addition, cherimoya fruit is a good source of B-complex vitamins, especially vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine). 100 g fresh fruit provides 0.257 mg or 20% of daily-recommended levels. Pyridoxine helps keep-up GABA neuro chemical in the brain. High GABA levels calm down nervous irritability, tension, and headache ailments.
  

• Further, it has a well balanced sodium-potassium ratio. A good potassium level in the body helps control heart rate and blood pressure, and thus, counters the bad influences of sodium. It also contains more minerals weight per weight than many common fruits like apples, rich in copper, magnesium, iron and manganese.

Source: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cherimoya.html

Sounds great, except this part right here:  "powerful cytotoxins and have been found to have anti-cancer, anti-malarial, and anti-helminthes properties." (record stop). Wait, what?!. So this stuff has toxins in it? Isn't snake venom a cytotoxin?

GoogleFu to the rescue.....more research needed. I read several reports and research papers, but the best explanation was found in a well sourced post on the 30 Bananas a Day site. (I am NOT recommending the 30 bananas a day approach to dieting.)

"The cherimoya fruit skin and its crushed seeds are toxic; ingestion of either is discouraged except by those well familiar with their medicinal qualities. The seeds have been used for insecticides while a dilution of the skin can induce paralysis.

The dried flowers are used as flavoring in snuff in Jamaica while rural Mexicans sometimes use a dilution of the seeds to induce vomiting or defecation (Morton). The pulverized seeds are also used to kill lice and treat parasitic skin problems. The skin can also be brewed into a tea for treatment of pneumonia.

Source: http://www.aihd.ku.edu/foods/cherimoya.html

One of the common internet myths that I wanted to take an opportunity to dispel was the idea that a Cherimoya can kill you if you eat the skin and seeds. According to Mr. Ruskey, the skin is tannic but not poisonous. The seeds of the Cherimoya do contain alkaloids, similar to a number of other plant seeds, and while you could do a fair amount of processing to collect the alkaloids, accidentally swallowing one seed won't harm you. Lucky for my readers, I recently swallowed a Cherimoya seed and I am still here typing this post (or am I....?) so rest assured that Mr. Ruskey is indeed correct in his analysis.

Source: http://www.uncoveringfood.com/2009/04/deliciously-divine-uncovering...

The hard seeds are toxic, but can be swallowed whole with no ill effects.

Source: Morton, J. (1987): Custard apple. In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL.

So there you have it folks. Adventure level: 9- May cause paralysis.

Today's adventure bite led me to some new learning and a reminder to know thy food. 

Kellie