Mamey Sapote

Mamey Sapote is a not a commonly found fruit in the UK or indeed the USA. It is one of those fruits however which is commonly found in the market place throughout Central America and up into Mexico. The fruit belongs to the tree species Pouteria sapota in the family of the Sapotaceae. The fruit is commercially cultivated throughout central America but is starting to be grown in other semi-tropical regions such as Southern Florida. The fruit is commonly found in the marketplace (Almeyda & Martin, 1976).

The Fruit

The fruit ranges in weight between 250g and 900g. The fruit has a high moisture content which makes it very soft and prone to post-harvest damage. It also has a high sugar to acid ratio which means it is exceptionally sweet and is often eaten slightly under ripe because of this fact (Torres-Rodriguez et al., 2011).

The vitamin content is reasonably high with vitamin C and E predominating in the fruit pulp.

Heart Health Benefits

Mamey Sapote has a high potassium content which in its own right is a mineral that is often added to reduce blood pressure in nutritional supplements. The fruit itself is not directly linked to these specific benefits but it is one which demands further investigation.

References

Almeyda, N., & Martin, F. W. (1976). Cultivation of neglected tropical fruits with promise. Part 2, The mamey sapote. Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture (Article). 

Torres-Rodríguez, A., Salinas-Moreno, Y., Valle-Guadarrama, S., & Alia-Tejacal, I. (2011). Soluble phenols and antioxidant activity in mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota) fruits in postharvest. Food Research International, 44(7), pp. 1956-1961 (Article).