Fruits · IFCT 2017
Currants: nutrition per 100 g
Per 100 g, fresh black currants give 54 kcal, 4.1 g dietary fibre and 182 mg vitamin C, according to IFCT 2017. That vitamin C figure ranks 3rd of 130 foods in the tables, and 100 g covers more than twice the daily requirement: about 228 per cent for a man and 280 per cent for a woman. Few foods on any Indian plate come close.
About currants
The fruit IFCT 2017 analysed is the fresh black currant, Ribes nigrum, a small, sharp, dark berry of cool climates. It is barely grown in India and is rarely sold fresh; most people know it as a flavour in ice cream, jam, cordials and sweets. With 83.3 g water and only 6.3 g sugars per 100 g, the fresh berry is tart rather than sweet.
The regional names in the tables, munakka in Hindi, kala kishmish in Urdu and kadi draksh in Gujarati, describe something else: the small dried black grapes sold as currants in Indian dry fruit shops and used in cakes, kheer and pulao. Those are dried grapes, with a nutrition profile much closer to the raisins page. This page is about the fresh berry, so do not apply its vitamin C figure to a box of dried currants.
What currants brings to a meal
- 01
Exceptional vitamin C
At 182 mg per 100 g, black currant ranks 3rd of 44 fruits and 3rd of 130 foods for vitamin C. 100 g meets about 228 per cent of a man's and 280 per cent of a woman's daily requirement.
- 02
Fibre with little sugar
It has 4.1 g dietary fibre per 100 g and only 6.3 g sugars, so the berry fills you without much sweetness. Its 54 kcal per 100 g sits among the lighter fruits.
- 03
Iron for a fresh fruit
Black currant gives 1.36 mg iron per 100 g, 6th of 43 fruits, about 7 per cent of a man's and 5 per cent of a woman's daily requirement. Its own vitamin C helps that iron absorb.
- 04
Vitamin K1 and calcium
100 g carries 27.5 micrograms of vitamin K1 and 40 mg calcium, the latter ranking 9th of 43 fruits.
Currants nutrition facts per 100 g
Every value IFCT 2017 reports for the edible portion, with the share of an adult's daily need that 100 g covers where ICMR-NIN sets a requirement.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Adult man | Adult woman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy and macronutrients | |||
| Energy | 54 kcal | 3% | 3% |
| Protein | 1.5 g | 3% | 3% |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 9.9 g | ||
| Dietary fibre | 4.1 g | ||
| Free sugars | 6.3 g | ||
| Total fat | 0.5 g | ||
| Water | 83.3 g | ||
| Fats | |||
| Saturated fat | 0.08 g | ||
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.3 g | ||
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.04 g | ||
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 8 mg | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
| Minerals | |||
| Calcium | 40 mg | 4% | 4% |
| Iron | 1.36 mg | 7% | 5% |
| Zinc | 0.21 mg | 1% | 2% |
| Magnesium | 17 mg | 4% | 5% |
| Phosphorus | 79 mg | ||
| Potassium | 283 mg | ||
| Sodium | 1 mg | ||
| Copper | 0.08 mg | ||
| Selenium | 1.5 µg | ||
| Vitamins | |||
| Vitamin C | 182 mg | 228% | 280% |
| Beta-carotene | 62 µg | ||
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.03 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.03 mg | 1% | 1% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.35 mg | 2% | 3% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.09 mg | 4% | 5% |
| Folate (B9) | 8 µg | 3% | 4% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.45 mg | ||
| Vitamin K1 | 27.5 µg | ||
Values per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad. Daily-need shares use the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances for a 65 kg man and a 55 kg woman doing sedentary work (ICMR-NIN brief note). Nutrients IFCT did not analyse for this food are left out rather than shown as zero.
Cite this page
NNWA Nutrition and Wellness Academy. Currants: nutrition per 100 g. Data: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. https://nnwa.in/foods/fruits/currants/
Where currants sits among Indian foods
Ranked per 100 g against the other 43 fruits and every food in the tables.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | In fruits | Among all foods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 182 mg | 3rd of 44 | 3rd of 130 |
| Beta-carotene | 62 µg | 9th of 41 | 73rd of 160 |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.45 mg | 6th of 44 | 94th of 242 |
| Dietary fibre | 4.1 g | 17th of 43 | 100th of 182 |
| Calcium | 40 mg | 9th of 43 | 108th of 242 |
How currants is eaten
- Blackcurrant jam or preserve, spread on toast or stirred into plain curd in place of sugar.
- A cordial or syrup diluted with chilled water or soda, a familiar summer drink in many Indian homes.
- Fresh or frozen berries cooked briefly with jaggery into a sharp sauce for kulfi or plain cake.
- Dried black currants, which are really dried grapes, scattered into Christmas cake, kheer or Kashmiri pulao.
Before you plan around it
Vitamin C is easily lost to heat, so a long-boiled jam or a packaged blackcurrant drink keeps only a fraction of the fresh berry's 182 mg per 100 g, and adds a lot of sugar besides. Many blackcurrant-flavoured sweets and ice creams contain little or no real fruit. The dried currants in Indian shops are dried grapes, far sweeter and denser in energy than the fresh berry, so count them like raisins.
Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.
What people ask about currants
How much vitamin C is in black currants?
IFCT 2017 lists 182 mg vitamin C per 100 g of fresh black currants, the 3rd highest of 130 foods in the tables. That is about 228 per cent of a man's and 280 per cent of a woman's daily requirement from 100 g.
Are currants the same as raisins?
The dried currants sold in India are small dried grapes, so they are close to raisins. The fresh black currant in IFCT 2017 is a different berry altogether, Ribes nigrum, with far less sugar and much more vitamin C per 100 g.
What is munakka?
Munakka is the Hindi name for large dried grapes with seeds, and IFCT 2017 lists it as a regional name for currants. Nutritionally, munakka belongs with raisins, not with the fresh black currant whose figures appear on this page.
Does blackcurrant juice have the same vitamin C?
Usually not. Vitamin C breaks down with heat and storage, and most bottled blackcurrant drinks are diluted and sweetened. Fresh or frozen berries keep far more of the 182 mg per 100 g that IFCT 2017 records.
Related foods and tables
Raisins
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Amla (Indian gooseberry)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Guava
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Black berry
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Strawberry
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Vitamin C content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by vitamin c per 100 g.
Beta-carotene content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by beta-carotene per 100 g.
Vitamin E content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by vitamin e per 100 g.
All fruits
44 foods in this group, compared.
Learn to use this data
Certification in Nutrition
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