Nerve cell

Soursop toxicity

soursop impact on nervous systemWhat is the toxicity of soursop

The presence of the alkaloids anonaine and annonacin has been reported in soursop fruit (also known as Guanabana and Graviola). Annonacin that has been found to possess in vitro anticancer activity. It can arrest cell growth. It can also cause apoptosis, which is death of cells that occurs as a normal and controlled part of an organism’s growth or development. There is evidence it can impact the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line.

Muricine and muricinine

The alkaloids muricine and muricinine are found in the bark of the graviola tree from which the fruit grows. Muricinine is believed to be identical to reticuline. Reticuline is one of the alkaloids found in the drug opium. Experiments in rodents suggest it has a potent central nervous system depressing effects. It is the precursor of morphine and many other alkaloids.

An unnamed alkaloid occurs in the leaves and seeds. The bark is high in hydrocyanic acid. Small amounts are found in the leaves and roots. There is a trace in the fruit. The seeds contain 45% of a yellow non-drying oil which is an irritant poison, causing severe eye inflammation.

It can disrupt the human nervous system if over-consumed.

history of soursop

History of Soursop

The history of Soursop spans back to 1526, when it was one of the first fruit trees carried from the North American continent across the Pacific to southeastern China, and Australia. It was also brought to the western shores of Africa.

Soursop was noted by Spanish historian Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in 1526 as a plentiful fruit. And, soursop has been grown in Florida for over a century.

Soursop in Florida

It was listed by the American Pomological Society as a Florida fruit in 1879. You can sometimes find it in home gardens. Cuban soursop began selling to Key West, Fla., in 1887 for 10 cents to 50 cents each.

The soursop fruit is  not quite as big as the enormous jackfruit, but still it is hefty. It measures four to 12 inches wide and as much as six inches long.

A single fruit may weigh up to 15 pounds. The tree it grows on can reach to 30 feet in height.

Found in tropical and subtropical climates, it is usually oval or heart-shaped and can be strangely curved. It can grow oddly thanks to  issues with insects during growth. Soursop has a spiny skin that’s not edible and is dark green until mature when it becomes yellowish green in color.

It has a the same type of scent and flavor to the pineapple but it has a bit of a lingering musky flavor as well. The pulp is an off-white color. It is also granular fibrous and very juicy. It grows in segments where there is an oval, smooth, hard, black seed, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long containing anywhere from a few dozen to 200 or more seeds.

Soursop in Grenada and Trinidad

The island of Grenada produces particularly large and perfect soursop fruit. Exporters regularly deliver them by boat to the market of Port-of Spain because of a shortage in Trinidad.

Soursop in Colombia

In Colombia, where the soursop is generally large, well-formed and of high quality, this is one of the 14 tropical fruits recommended by the Instituto Latinoamericano de Mercadeo Agricola for large-scale planting and marketing.

Soursop is one of the 14 tropical fruits that the Instituto Latinoamericano de Mercadeo Agricola noted as having strong demand for large-scale planting and marketing.

Soursop in Venezula and Costa Rica

Soursop is also produced throughout Venezuela, which provides the supply for the processing plants where the frozen concentrate is manufactured. Strained pulp is also produced commercially in Costa Rica.

Soursop Smoothie Recipe

Soursop smoothie recipe

Want to make a delicious healthy soursop smoothie? It’s easy. All you need to do is follow the recipe below.

Ingredients:

How to make a soursop smoothie

  1. Remove the skin from the soursop pulp.
  2. Remove the soursop seeds.
  3. Add the water to the soursop pulp.
  4. Squeeze in the juice of the half lime.
  5. Blend the ingredients.
  6. Enjoy!

Serves 1 to 2

Double up the recipe for larger portions or to serve more

Soursop sweetening tip

If your soursop is a little tart and you like it sweeter, try adding 1 tsp of agave nectar into the mix.

Soursop smoothie recipe on video

Watch the recipe below produced by OrganicHawaii.org to see how this is done step by step, (without the sweetening step).

Gfruit - Soursop products

Gfruit product review

Product: Gfruit

GFruit Review
Price:
 US$16.99
Source: Amazon.com

I’ve become very interested in soursop, and so I have been looking for a reliable source of good fruit. So I turned to Amazon, because I’m a Prime member, so I can get product for free on a two-day shipping here in the U.S. When you search the site the product GFruit comes up immediately. And so I bought it.

It arrived two days later, neatly packed in bubble wrap. The GFruit branding is great. A curvy jar with a seal on the top. When you open it, it makes that nice pop sound as the vacuum is released.

 

What Amazon says about Gfruit:

Soursop Graviola Guanabana exotic fruit by Gfruit. This is NOT a Juice, it is 100% Healthy Fruit
  • This is NOT a Juice, it is 100% Healthy Fruit. It is vacuum sealed for freshness. It is as if you were eating the fruit fresh from a tree as nature intended it. The seeds cannot be consumed. Refrigerate after opening, consume within 10 days of opening. NO SUGAR ADDED!
  • Non GMO - Vegan - Gluten Free - Rich in Vitamin C
  • Delivered the way nature intended.
See Gfruit on Amazon

 

Inside is the actual fruit pulp, scooped from the inside of the spiny green protective skin. Think of how an avocado is. Tough protective skin with soft fruit inside.  The fruit grows on the the graviola tree. It is in a soupy white liquid with chunks of the fruit in it. The soursop seeds are also still in the flesh and can be spotted because they are about 3/4 inch long and brown to black in color. (They will germinate if planted.)

The fruit itself in the first jar I purchased was sour, which is not the way I expected it to taste. Ripe fresh soursop is sweet, and tastes like strawberry-banana or, some say, pineapple-mango. I suspect that the fruit in my jar was still unripe when it was vacuum sealed.

The second jar I bought was much better.

If you look at the reviews on Amazon, they are mixed. Some people say the fruit in their jar was delicious, other say it was overripe or sour. This suggests that the company that produces this product is having trouble gauging ripeness and is either packing underripe fruit or overripe fruit, sometimes getting it right.

Overall, I’d give the product a 4 out of 5 stars for inconsistency. Picked, ripened to soft, then opened is better. But this produce is decent, if inconsistent. And it is an affordable way to get the glorious soursop on demand into your deserving tummy. But the best way to eat it is fresh soursop from a farm.

 

Amazon Reviews

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Fred H

Nearly as good as the fresh fruit off the tree that I remember. Here's how to a good dessert: After removing the seeds, grind the soursop up with a Magic Bullet or Ninja food processor. Then add sugar to taste. Delicious!

Marlene B

Great product, I am reliving my youth.. I grew up eating this fruit daily, and it has not changed.

Cybered27 (Verified Buyer)

People have written that this fruit is delicious, but the fruit I received tastes truly vile. I don't know if it is spoiled or if this is the way it should taste. If so, it is definitely not delicious!

Official Gfruit Video

Guanábana en Inglés

Guanábana en Inglés: Soursop

Guanábana en Inglés

Traducción: Español >Inglés

Traducción de guanábana en Inglés: Soursop

Ejemplos de uso:

Español

Las guanábanas son frutas que algunos investigadores creen que podrían ayudar a curar el cáncer.

Inglés

Soursop is a fruit that some researchers believe could help cure cancer.