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Soursop



 
 
The soursop (Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
 guanábana, Portuguese
Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and Portugal. It is derived from the Latin language spoken by the Romanization Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago....
 graviola, Annona muricata; syn. A. sericea Dunal in Correia, M. P., (1984), A. macrocarpa Wercklé, A. bonplandiana H.B. & K., A. cearensis Barb.Rodr., A. coriacea, Guanabanus muricatus (L.) M.Gómez in Rain-tree) is a broadleaf flowering evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
 tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
 native to Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
, the Caribbean
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
 and northern South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
.






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The soursop (Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
 guanábana, Portuguese
Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and Portugal. It is derived from the Latin language spoken by the Romanization Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago....
 graviola, Annona muricata; syn. A. sericea Dunal in Correia, M. P., (1984), A. macrocarpa Wercklé, A. bonplandiana H.B. & K., A. cearensis Barb.Rodr., A. coriacea, Guanabanus muricatus (L.) M.Gómez in Rain-tree) is a broadleaf flowering evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
 tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
 native to Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
, the Caribbean
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
 and northern South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. Today, it is also grown in some areas of Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
. It is in the same genus as the cherimoya
Cherimoya

The cherimoya is a species of Annona native to the Andes-highland valleys of Ecuador and Peru. It is a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub or small tree reaching 7 m tall....
 and the same family as the pawpaw
Pawpaw

Pawpaw is a genus of eight or nine species of small trees with large leaves and fruit, native to eastern North America. The genus includes the largest edible fruit indigenous to the continent....
. In most Spanish speaking countries it is commonly known as Guanábana. In the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
, it is known as guyabano.

The soursop is adapted to areas of high humidity and relatively warm winters, temperatures below 5 °C will cause damage to leaves and small branches, and temperatures below 3 °C can be fatal.

Comparisons of its flavour range from strawberry
Strawberry

Fragaria is the name of a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits....
 and pineapple
Pineapple

Pineapple is the common name for an edible tropical plant and also its fruit. It is native to the southern part of Brazil, and Paraguay. This herbaceous plant perennial plant grows to tall with 30 or more trough-shaped and pointed leaves long, surrounding a thick plant stem....
 mixed together to sour citrus
Citrus

Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the family Rutaceae, originating in tropical and subtropical southeast regions of the world....
 flavour notes contrasting with an underlying creamy roundness of flavour reminiscent of coconut
Coconut

The Coconut Palm is a member of the Family Arecaceae . It is the only species in the genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaf 4-6 m long, pinnae 60-90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly leaving the trunk smooth....
 or banana
Banana

File:Banana and cross section.jpgBanana is the common name for a fruit and also the herbaceous plants of the genus Musa which produce this commonly eaten fruit....
. The fruit is somewhat difficult to eat, as the white interior pulp is studded with many large seeds, and pockets of soft flesh are bounded by fibrous membranes. The soursop is therefore usually juiced rather than eaten directly.

Cultivation and uses

The plant is grown as a commercial crop
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
 for its 20-30 cm long prickly green fruit
Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. In botany, which is the scientific study of plants, fruits are the ripened Ovary of flowering plants....
, which can have a mass of up to 2.5 kg.

Away from its native area, there is some limited production as far north as southern Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
 within USDA Zone 10; however these are mostly garden plantings for local consumption. It is also grown in parts of southeastern Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
. The soursop will reportedly fruit as a container specimen, even in temperate climates if protected from cool temperatures.

The flesh of the fruit consists of an edible white pulp and a core of indigestible black seeds. The species is the only member of the genus Annona
Annona

Annona is the second largest genus, after Guatteria, in the plant family Annonaceae, containing approximately 110 species of mostly Neotropical and Afrotropical trees and shrubs....
 that is suitable for processing and preservation. The sweet pulp is used to make juice as well as candies, sorbets, and ice cream flavorings.

In Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
, soursop is called Sirsak which is derived from the Dutch
Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic languages spoken by over 22 million people as a first language, and about 5 million people as a second language."1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language speakers of Dutch is very small. Most native...
 zuur zak meaning sour sack. Dodol
Dodol

Dodol is a toffee-like food delicacy popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. In the Philippines, especially in the Ilocos Region in Luzon and in the Lanao provinces of Mindanao and in India especially in the Region of Goa....
 sirsak
, a sweetmeat, is made by boiling soursop pulp in water and adding sugar until the mixture hardens. Soursop is also common ingredient for making fresh fruit juices that are sold at most of street food vendors.

In Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 it is a common fruit often used for dessert as the only ingredient, or as an agua fresca beverage. Ice cream and fruit bars made of soursop are also very popular. The seeds are normally left in the preparation, and removed while consuming.

Nutritionally, the fruit is high in carbohydrates, particularly fructose
Fructose

Fructose is a simple Reducing sugar sugar found in many foods and is one of the three important dietary monosaccharides along with glucose and galactose....
. The fruit also contains significant amounts of vitamin C
Vitamin C

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of simian species, a small number of other mammalian species , a few species of birds, and some fish....
, vitamin B1, and vitamin B2. The fruit, seeds, and leaves have a number of herbal medicinal uses among indigenous peoples of regions where the plant is common.

In the Caribbean it is believed that laying the leaves of the soursop on a bed below a sleeping person with a fever will break the fever by the next morning. Also, boiling the leaves and drinking may help induce sleep.

The tea, fruit, and juice are used medicinally to treat illness ranging from stomach ailments to worms.

In Vietnam
Vietnam

Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....
, this fruit is called mãng c?u Xiêm in the South, or qu? Na in the North and is used to make juice, or eaten as is.

Health risks

Research carried out in the Caribbean has suggested a connection between consumption of soursop and atypical forms of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills and speech, as well as other functions....
 due to the very high concentration of annonacin
Annonacin

Annonacin is a chemical found in fruits such as the guanabana. It is a member of the class of compounds known as acetogenins. Recent reports have shown that daily consumption in rats caused brain lesions consistent with Parkinson's disease....
.

External links

Correia, M. P.
Manuel Pio Correia

Manuel Pio Correia was a Portugal botanist....
, (1984) Dicionário das plantas úteis do Brasil
  • from Fruits of Warm Climates (1987
    1987 in literature

    The year 1987 in literature involved some significant events and new books....
    , ISBN 0-9610184-1-0)


See also

  • Cherimoya
    Cherimoya

    The cherimoya is a species of Annona native to the Andes-highland valleys of Ecuador and Peru. It is a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub or small tree reaching 7 m tall....
  • Custard-apple
    Custard-apple

    The custard-apple, also called bullock's heart or bull's heart, is the fruit of the tree Annona reticulata. This tree is a small deciduous or semi-evergreen tree sometimes reaching tall and a native of the tropical New World that prefers low elevations, and a warm, humid climate....
  • Sugar-apple
    Sugar-apple

    Annona squamosa is a species of Annona native to the tropical Americas. Its exact native range is unknown due to extensive cultivation, but thought to be in the Caribbean; the species was described from Jamaica....