Fruits · IFCT 2017
Wood apple (kaitha): nutrition per 100 g
Per 100 g, wood apple pulp gives 78 kcal, 3.1 g protein, 3.6 g fat, 5.2 g dietary fibre and 22.2 mg vitamin C, according to IFCT 2017. Its standout figure is 636 mg of omega-3 ALA, 1st of 43 fruits and 12th of 203 foods, most likely from the many small seeds eaten with the pulp. It is also 3rd among fruits for protein.
About wood apple (kaitha)
Wood apple, Limonia acidissima, is a round fruit with a hard, grey, wood-like shell and a sticky, brown, sour-sweet pulp full of small seeds. It is kaith in Hindi, kavath in Marathi, kaitha in Odia, koyeth bael in Bengali, velega pandu in Telugu and vilam pazham in Tamil and Malayalam. The trees grow wild in dry forests and on village edges across central and southern India, and the fruit ripens through the cooler months.
It is often confused with bael, which also has a hard shell, and some regional names recorded in IFCT 2017, such as bel in Assamese and beal in Urdu, belong properly to bael. Wood apple is the smaller, greyer, sourer fruit. In Tamil Nadu, vilam pazham mixed with jaggery is offered to Ganesha, and Maharashtra and the Hindi belt grind the pulp into a sweet and sour chutney.
What wood apple (kaitha) brings to a meal
- 01
Omega-3 ALA, top among fruits
At 636 mg per 100 g, wood apple ranks 1st of 43 fruits and 12th of 203 foods for omega-3 ALA. That is far more than any other fruit in the tables.
- 02
Protein and fat above most fruit
Wood apple has 3.1 g protein and 3.6 g fat per 100 g, ranking 3rd and 2nd among fruits. Most of its fat, 1.44 g, is polyunsaturated.
- 03
Fibre and calcium
It carries 5.2 g dietary fibre per 100 g, 9th of 43 fruits, and 56 mg calcium, 6th of 43.
- 04
Vitamin C and potassium
100 g gives 22.2 mg vitamin C, about 28 per cent of a man's and 34 per cent of a woman's daily requirement, and 347 mg potassium, 9th among fruits.
Wood apple (kaitha) 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 | 78 kcal | 4% | 5% |
| Protein | 3.1 g | 6% | 7% |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 7.5 g | ||
| Dietary fibre | 5.2 g | ||
| Free sugars | 3.8 g | ||
| Total fat | 3.6 g | ||
| Water | 79.4 g | ||
| Fats | |||
| Saturated fat | 0.88 g | ||
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.59 g | ||
| Polyunsaturated fat | 1.44 g | ||
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 636 mg | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
| Minerals | |||
| Calcium | 56 mg | 6% | 6% |
| Iron | 0.45 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Zinc | 0.31 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Magnesium | 24 mg | 5% | 6% |
| Phosphorus | 84 mg | ||
| Potassium | 347 mg | ||
| Sodium | 1 mg | ||
| Copper | 0.2 mg | ||
| Selenium | 2.3 µg | ||
| Vitamins | |||
| Vitamin C | 22.2 mg | 28% | 34% |
| Beta-carotene | 4 µg | ||
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.04 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.01 mg | 0% | 0% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.55 mg | 3% | 4% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.17 mg | 7% | 9% |
| Folate (B9) | 7 µg | 2% | 3% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.01 mg | ||
| Vitamin K1 | 6.8 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. Wood apple (kaitha): nutrition per 100 g. Data: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. https://nnwa.in/foods/fruits/wood-apple/
Where wood apple (kaitha) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 636 mg | 1st of 42 | 12th of 202 |
| Vitamin C | 22.2 mg | 21st of 44 | 59th of 130 |
| Dietary fibre | 5.2 g | 9th of 43 | 76th of 182 |
| Calcium | 56 mg | 6th of 43 | 89th of 242 |
| Potassium | 347 mg | 9th of 44 | 105th of 243 |
How wood apple (kaitha) is eaten
- Kavathachi chutney: the pulp ground with jaggery, roasted cumin, red chilli and salt, a Maharashtrian favourite.
- Kaith ki chutney in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, sweet and sour with jaggery and black salt.
- Vilam pazham mixed with jaggery and offered to Ganesha in Tamil Nadu homes.
- Wood apple sherbet: the pulp soaked in water, strained, and sweetened lightly with jaggery.
- Eaten straight from the cracked shell with a little salt or sugar.
Before you plan around it
The shell is hard enough to need a hammer or a firm knock on a stone; crack it over a plate. Unripe wood apple is very sour and astringent, so choose fruit that sounds hollow when tapped and smells strong. Chutneys and sherbets are usually sweetened with plenty of jaggery, which adds sugar to a fruit that is not very sweet on its own, at 3.8 g sugars per 100 g. Kidney patients told to limit potassium should ask their dietitian, since it carries 347 mg per 100 g.
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 wood apple (kaitha)
Is wood apple the same as bael?
No, though both have hard shells and the names are often swapped. Wood apple, kaith or kavath, is a smaller, greyer, sour fruit, Limonia acidissima. Bael, Aegle marmelos, is larger, with an orange, fragrant pulp. IFCT 2017 lists them separately.
Does wood apple have omega-3?
Yes, unusually for a fruit. IFCT 2017 lists 636 mg omega-3 ALA per 100 g of wood apple, the most of any fruit in the tables. It is the plant form of omega-3, which the body converts only partly to the forms found in fish.
Can people with diabetes eat wood apple?
The fruit itself has only 7.5 g carbohydrate and 3.8 g sugars per 100 g, with 5.2 g fibre, so it fits most plans. Chutneys and sherbets with added jaggery are different. Plan portions with your doctor or dietitian.
When is wood apple in season?
Wood apple ripens through the cooler months after the monsoon, across central and southern India. The hard shell keeps the fruit for weeks, so it stays in markets longer than most.
Related foods and tables
Bael
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Tamarind
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Ber (Indian jujube)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Jamun
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Amla (Indian gooseberry)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Omega-3 (ALA) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by omega-3 (ala) per 100 g.
Vitamin C content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by vitamin c 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.