Soursop vs. Cherimoya — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Summary

Cherimoya is higher in vitamins B2 and B6, while soursop is richer in vitamin C. Cherimoya has three times more vitamin B2 than soursop. Soursop is 8mg richer in vitamin C than cherimoya. Cherimoya is richer in carbs. 

Introduction 

Cherimoya and soursop are packed with minerals, carbohydrates, and vitamins. They both are tropical fruits. On the other hand, cherimoya and soursop differ in nutrient content. This article will discuss the general and nutritional differences and the health impacts of raw cherimoya (1) and raw soursop (2).

Taste, smell, appearance 

Cherimoya and soursop are tropical fruits, so they have much in common. They differ, however, in terms of color, scent, and appearance.

Cherimoya is often known as a custard apple. It is a large, green, cone-shaped fruit with a tropical taste, like blended pineapple and banana. Cherimoya has poisonous black seeds. This fruit smells like a creamy, tropical pear. 

Soursop or guanabana is a large, irregularly shaped fruit that tastes like a banana combined with strawberry, coconut, and apple. Soursop seeds are often consumed blended with the fruit. Soursop smells like a pineapple. 

Nutrition

Vitamins

Vitamins are nutrients the human body cannot synthesize. Vitamins are abundant in fruits such as cherimoya and soursop.

Cherimoyas are high in vitamins A, E, B1, B2, B5, and B6, although soursops have more C and B3. 

Soursop offers 8mg more vitamin C than cherimoya, with 20.6mg per 100g compared to 12.6mg in cherimoya. 

For more detailed information, check the vitamin comparison chart below. 

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Soursop

4

Cherimoya

7

Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C	+63.5%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+39.8%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K	+∞%
Contains more CholineCholine	+∞%

Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+150%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+237.5%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+44.3%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+162%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+36.4%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+335.6%
Contains more FolateFolate	+64.3%

~equal in Vitamin D ~µg

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Minerals

Soursop is the winner in this section. 

Soursop is higher in iron, magnesium, copper, and calcium than cherimoya. Cherimoya provides more zinc and less sodium.  

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Soursop

5

Cherimoya

3

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+23.5%
Contains more CalciumCalcium	+40%
Contains more IronIron	+122.2%
Contains more CopperCopper	+24.6%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+∞%

Contains more ZincZinc	+60%
Contains less SodiumSodium	-50%

~equal in Potassium ~287mg

~equal in Phosphorus ~26mg

Macronutrients

Proteins

Fruits are generally not considered protein sources, but they contain some amounts of proteins. Cherimoyas provide more protein than soursops. They contain 1.57g per 100g of fruit, compared to 1g in soursops.

Carbs

Large quantities of these chemicals can be found in all fruits. Cherimoyas have more carbs than soursops. Cherimoyas have 17.7g of carbohydrates per 100g, while soursops have 16.8g. Furthermore, cherimoyas have fewer sugars than soursops. They do not contain any amounts of starch.

Fiber

Cherimoyas are high in both forms of fiber. The fiber level of soursop is higher than that of cherimoya. They have 3.3 grams of fiber per 100 grams of fruit, compared with 3 grams of cherimoya.

Fats

Lipids are not found in cherimoyas or soursops in considerable quantities. The two fruits are equal in cholesterol content: they do not contain a significant amount.

Calories

Cherimoyas and soursops are low-calorie fruits. However, the cherimoya has 75 calories per 100g of fruit, compared to 66 for soursop.

Glycemic index

Cherimoya is considered to have a medium glycemic index, while soursop’s GI is low. Cherimoya's GI (59) is higher than the GI of soursop (32). 

You can see the GI values for the other foods by checking our glycemic index chart. 

Health impact

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are compounds that help the organism fight against free radicals that can cause chronic illness, heart disease, and cancer (3).  Cherimoya and soursop provide different antioxidants. 

Unpeeled cherimoya provides a lot of powerful antioxidants such as flavonoids, carotenoids, and kaurenoic acid (4) (5) (6). Carotenoids in cherimoya, like lutein, may support eye health (7). 

Test-tube studies showed that soursop successfully protects against oxidative damage (8). Soursop contains luteolin, quercetin, and tangeretin (9).

Cancer

Cherimoya and soursop produce different chemicals that can have anticancer properties. 

Cherimoya flavonoids, including catechin, epicatechin, and epigallocatechin, can inhibit the growth of cancer cells in test-tube studies (10). Catechins also stop 100% of breast cancer cells' growth (11). 

The extract made of soursop leaves stops the growth of breast cancer, reduces its size, and enhances the activity of the immune system (12). Soursop extract also inhibits the proliferation of leukemia cells (13). 

References

1. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173953/nutrients 
2.  https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/167761/nutrients 
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3614697/ 
4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0963996910004138 
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26433307/ 
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27283704/ 
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29885291/ 
8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24337133/ 
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25829616/ 
10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27283704/ 
11.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12925310/ 
12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27558166/
13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4324658/