This article is about the fruit of Annona squamosa. For the plant which bears this fruit,, see Annona squamosa

"Pinha" redirects here. For Cape Verdean footballer, see Pinha (footballer)

The sugar-apple, sweetsop, or custard apple is the fruit of Annona squamosa, the most widely grown species of Annona and a native of the tropical Americas and West Indies. The Spanish traders of Manila galleons brought it to Asia, where its old Mexican name ate may still be found in Bengali ata, Nepalese aati, Sinhalese mati anoda, Burmese awzar thee, Indonesia “ Srikaya”’ and atis in the Philippines. It is also known as sitaphal in India and Shareefa in Pakistan and in the Philippines and in Australia.[1] The name is also used in Portuguese as ata.

The fruit is spherical-conical, 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) in diameter and 6–10 cm (2.4–3.9 in) long, and weighing 100–240 g (3.5–8.5 oz), 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, and 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. It is found adhering to 13-to-16-millimetre-long (0.51 to 0.63 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.[1][2]

There are also new varieties being developed in Taiwan. 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 US 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.

Nomenclature [ edit ]

Sugar-apple with cross section

As a result of its widespread cultivation, many local names have developed for the fruit.

Nutrition and uses [ edit ]

Sugar-apple is high in energy, an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese, a good source of thiamine and vitamin B 6 , and provides vitamin B 2 , B 3 B 5 , B 9 , iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium in fair quantities.[4]

A Philippine company produces sugar apple wine.[citation needed]

For uses of other fruit from the Custard-apple family see:

Atemoya (a hybrid between A. squamosa and A. cherimoya )

and ) Cherimoya

Custard-apple

Gallery [ edit ]

Sugar apple in Tamil Nadu, which is known as சீதாபழம்

Sugar apple (right), with Taiwanese "pineapple shijia " (atemoya) (left)

The sugar apple readily breaks open when ripe.

A deconstruction of a sugar apple, showing a lobe of fruit and pulpy segments with seeds.

A sugar apple ready to eat

Red Sugar Apples from Myanmar

Sugar apples in Taitung, Taiwan

A sugar apple in Goiânia, Brazil

See also [ edit ]