Fruits · IFCT 2017
Custard apple (sitaphal): nutrition per 100 g
Per 100 g, custard apple pulp gives 99 kcal, 20.4 g carbohydrate, 13.3 g sugars, 5.1 g dietary fibre and 21.5 mg vitamin C, according to IFCT 2017. It is sweeter and more filling than most fresh fruit, 8th of 44 fruits for energy, yet its fibre ranks 10th, and 100 g meets about 27 per cent of a man's and 33 per cent of a woman's vitamin C requirement.
About custard apple (sitaphal)
Custard apple, sitaphal in Marathi and Malayalam, sharifa in Hindi and Punjabi, ata in Bengali and Odia and seethapazham in Tamil, is a knobbly green fruit that splits open when ripe to show creamy white segments around shiny black seeds. It arrives after the monsoon from the dry hills and forest edges of the Deccan: Beed and Pune in Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Much of the crop is still gathered from semi-wild trees by tribal families and sold at roadside stalls.
It is mostly eaten as is, scooped with a spoon, but its custard-like pulp also goes into some much-loved milk sweets: sitaphal basundi in Maharashtra and Gujarat, sitaphal rabdi, and the seasonal ice cream that Mumbai parlours sell for only a few weeks each year. The pulp turns bitter and brown when heated, which is why these sweets fold it into milk that has already cooled.
What custard apple (sitaphal) brings to a meal
- 01
Fibre-rich and filling
Custard apple has 5.1 g dietary fibre per 100 g, 10th of 43 fruits, much of it in the grainy flesh around each seed. With 99 kcal per 100 g, it is a substantial snack rather than a light one.
- 02
Good vitamin C
At 21.5 mg per 100 g, it meets about 27 per cent of a man's and 33 per cent of a woman's daily vitamin C requirement, 22nd of 44 fruits.
- 03
B vitamins and magnesium
It ranks 3rd of 44 fruits for thiamine at 0.13 mg, 4th for riboflavin at 0.09 mg and 5th of 43 for magnesium at 38 mg per 100 g.
- 04
Unusual vitamin K1
IFCT 2017 records 58.0 micrograms of vitamin K1 per 100 g of custard apple, a high figure for a fruit and worth knowing for anyone on warfarin, who should keep intake steady.
Custard apple (sitaphal) 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 | 99 kcal | 5% | 6% |
| Protein | 1.6 g | 3% | 4% |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 20.4 g | ||
| Dietary fibre | 5.1 g | ||
| Free sugars | 13.3 g | ||
| Total fat | 0.7 g | ||
| Water | 71.5 g | ||
| Fats | |||
| Saturated fat | 0.14 g | ||
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.04 g | ||
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.13 g | ||
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 53 mg | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
| Minerals | |||
| Calcium | 28 mg | 3% | 3% |
| Iron | 0.42 mg | 2% | 1% |
| Zinc | 0.22 mg | 1% | 2% |
| Magnesium | 38 mg | 9% | 10% |
| Phosphorus | 41 mg | ||
| Potassium | 278 mg | ||
| Sodium | 3 mg | ||
| Copper | 0.19 mg | ||
| Vitamins | |||
| Vitamin C | 21.5 mg | 27% | 33% |
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.13 mg | 7% | 8% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.09 mg | 4% | 4% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.69 mg | 4% | 5% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.07 mg | 3% | 4% |
| Folate (B9) | 8 µg | 3% | 4% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.19 mg | ||
| Vitamin K1 | 58 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. Custard apple (sitaphal): nutrition per 100 g. Data: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. https://nnwa.in/foods/fruits/custard-apple/
Where custard apple (sitaphal) 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 | 21.5 mg | 22nd of 44 | 60th of 130 |
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.13 mg | 3rd of 44 | 61st of 239 |
| Dietary fibre | 5.1 g | 10th of 43 | 79th of 182 |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.09 mg | 4th of 44 | 91st of 241 |
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 53 mg | 16th of 42 | 104th of 202 |
How custard apple (sitaphal) is eaten
- Eaten fresh: split the ripe fruit by hand, scoop out the segments and spit out the seeds.
- Sitaphal basundi: deseeded pulp folded into cooled, thickened sweet milk with cardamom.
- Sitaphal rabdi or kulfi, made in the post-monsoon weeks when the fruit is plentiful and cheap.
- Blended into a milkshake with chilled milk and no added sugar, since the pulp is sweet enough.
- Frozen deseeded pulp, sold by some dairies, for sweets outside the season.
Before you plan around it
The black seeds are toxic if crushed or chewed; their powder has long been used as a home insect killer and it badly irritates the eyes. Swallowing a seed whole by accident usually causes no harm, but deseed the pulp carefully for young children, who can also choke on the seeds. The fruit is sweet and dense at 99 kcal per 100 g, so a large sitaphal is a sizeable snack, and people managing diabetes are better off with a small portion taken with a meal.
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 custard apple (sitaphal)
Is custard apple good for people with diabetes?
In small portions. Per 100 g, custard apple has 20.4 g carbohydrate, 13.3 g of it sugars, along with 5.1 g fibre. Half a small fruit eaten with a meal is easier to fit into a plan than a whole one eaten alone. People on diabetes medication should check fruit portions with their doctor or dietitian.
Are custard apple seeds poisonous?
Yes, when crushed. The seeds contain compounds that kill insects and can harm people if chewed or ground, and the powder irritates the eyes. A whole seed swallowed by mistake usually passes without trouble. Always remove the seeds before giving the pulp to children.
What is custard apple called in Hindi and other languages?
IFCT 2017 records sharifa in Hindi and Punjabi, sitaphal in Marathi, Malayalam and Assamese, ata in Bengali and Odia, sitapad in Gujarati, seethapazham in Tamil and sitaphalam in Telugu.
When is custard apple in season?
Custard apple ripens after the monsoon, peaking around Dussehra and Diwali, and the season ends with the first cold weeks of winter. Most of the crop comes from Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
Related foods and tables
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Vitamin C content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by vitamin c per 100 g.
Thiamine (vitamin B1) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by thiamine (vitamin b1) per 100 g.
Dietary fibre content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by dietary fibre per 100 g.
All fruits
44 foods in this group, compared.
Learn to use this data
Certification in Nutrition
Reading food composition tables and turning them into meal plans is taught in this NNWA course.