Custard Apple is a sweet fruit, which is widely grown across the world. The fruit is compound in nature, measuring 3¼ to 6½ inches (8-16 cm) in diameter. The shape of the fruit may be symmetrically heart-shaped, lopsided, or irregular. It may be nearly round or oblate, with a deep or shallow depression at the base. The skin or covering of custard apple is thin but tough, which is usually yellow or brownish when ripe. Beneath the thin covering, a thick, cream-white layer of custard like, granular, flesh is present, which surrounds seeds. The flavor of the fruit is sweet and agreeable. Besides, custard apple has many health and nutritional benefits. Given below is the nutrition value of the fruit.

Custard apple is fruit with a sweet taste, which measures about 8-16 cm in diameter. This fruit can be round, heart-shaped or irregular. The skin that covers this fruit is thin but tough and generally green or brown in color. Once you break open this skin, you’ll find thick, creamy flesh surrounding the seeds. Sugary and granular, it’s this custard like texture that gives the fruit its name. An evergreen plant that grows up to 6 meters, the custard apple plant bears flowers and fruits in the mature branches.

Custard apples, with its high calories, natural sugars and delicious taste, are good as a dessert and as a nutritious snack. Custard apples can be made into shakes or smoothies, or even into natural ice creams. It is good for those who have hyper thyroidism or want to gain weight – a mixture of honey and custard apple is supposed to help people add on those much-needed calories. Let’s looks at some other custard apple nutritional facts.

History of Custard Apple

Even though indigenous to South America, Queensland is definitely the world’s biggest industrial manufacturer. Even so, numerous Australians don’t knowabout  this particular exotic fruit and a lot of the crop is released to Asia. Using its fairly sweet flavor as well as creamy structure, the custard apple is really worth growing if you reside in northern Australia. They’re extremely cold-sensitive. The four principal growing locations are located across the subtropical as well as exotic coast of the eastern seaboard from the Atherton Tablelands in North Queensland to Lismore in Northern NSW. The biggest developing as well as manufacturing area is definitely the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland whilst the Yeppoon area within Central Queensland can easily lay claim they can producing the very first fruit of the year.

Benefits of Custard Apple

• Custard apple is a storehouse of Vitamin C, which is an anti-oxidant and helps in neutralizing free radicals.
• Vitamin A present in the fruit is good for hair, eyes and healthy skin.
• Custard apple contains magnesium, which plays vital role in relaxing muscles and protecting heart against diseases.
• Potassium and Vitamin B6 are also present in custard apple.
• Copper is yet another useful ingredient of custard apple.
• It is a rich source of dietary fiber, which helps in digestion.
• As it contains low fat levels, it is good for maintaining optimum health.
• The paste of the flesh of the fruit can be used for local application on ulcers, abscesses and boils.
• The fruit, in its unripe form, can be dried, crushed and used for treating diarrhea and dysentery.
• Custard apple serves as an expectorant, stimulant, coolant and haematinic and is even useful in treating anemia.
• The seeds of the fruit have insecticidal and abortifacient properties.

Source from : www.naturalfoodbenefits.com