Passion fruit is a tropical fruit that comes from the passiflora vine. The nutrition facts of passion fruit are a great link to its health benefits. It is a healthy fruit that grows well in warm places like Australia, South America, India, and Africa. Today, however, passion fruit is grown all over the globe.
passion fruit contains vitamin A and C, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, potassium, iron, and phosphorus. It is an excellent addition to diet, resulting in several health benefits.
Its potassium content can help to support heart health, likewise the its iron content can help reduce the risk of iron-deficient anemia.
The inside of passion fruit is full of fiber and healthy antioxidants, making it a unique and nutritious food eaten in many different cultures worldwide.
Passion fruit has a tough rind and a sweet-tasting pulp with black edible seeds.
Passion fruit can be categorized into two primary varieties: yellow and purple.
The yellow one has slightly softer skin than the others. The purple one is firmer and smaller in size than the yellow one.
This article walks you through the passion fruit nutrition facts and list of health benefits.
Passion fruit nutrition facts 100g
Passion fruit contains a host of vital nutrients. According to the United State Department of Agriculture,100 g of purple passion fruit contains the following nutrition information:
- Calories: 97
- Protein: 2.2g
- Fat: 0.7g
- Carbohydrate: 23.4g
- Fiber: 10.4g
- Sugars: 11.2g
- Calcium: 12mg
- Iron: 1.6mg
- Zinc: 0.1mg
- Copper: 0.1mg
- Selenium: 0.6mcg
- Vitamin C: 30mg
- Choline: 7.6mg
- Beta-carotene: 743mcg
- Beta-cryptoxanthin: 41mcg
Protein in passion fruit
One cup of passion fruit weighing 236 grams provides 5.2 grams of protein, which is about 10% of your daily value of protein. That makes passion fruit one of the few fruits that offer a healthy dose of protein.
Calories in one passion fruit
According to the United State Department of Agriculture, one passion fruit weighing 18 grams contains 17.5 calories, while 100 grams of the same passion fruit contains 97 calories.
Calorie breakdown:
From the nutrition profile of raw passion fruit, one fruit of 18 grams provides:
- Calories: 17.5
- Protein: 0.4g (7%)
- Fat: 0.1g (2%)
- Carbohydrate: 4.2g (91%)
Based on the breakdown of calories, 91% of the calories in one passion fruit come from carbohydrates.
About 7% of the calories in one passion fruit come from protein and 2% from fat.
How many carbs in a passion fruit?
Most of the calories in passion fruit come from carbohydrates. One passion fruit weighing 18 grams provides 4.2 grams of total carbs and 2.3 grams of net carbs. Similarly, 100g of the same passion fruit contains 23.4 grams of total carbs and 13 grams of net carbs, as reported by the USDA
How much sugar in passion fruit?
Fruits contain naturally occurring sugars.
As per the USDA, one cup of raw passion fruit weighing 236 grams delivers 26.4 grams of sugars, while one fruit weighing 18 grams consists of 2 grams of sugars, and 100g of the same passion fruit provides 11.2 grams of sugars.
Fiber in passion fruit
Passion fruits are an excellent source of dietary fiber. When eaten with seeds, passion fruit provides a significant amount of fiber.
Agriculture As provided by the United States Department of Agriculture, one cup of passion fruit (236 g) delivers 24.5 g of fiber, while 100 g of the same passion fruit contains 10.4 g of fiber.
Passion fruit vitamins and minerals
As provided by the USDA, one cup of raw passion fruit (236g) delivers.
- Vitamin C: 70.8mg (79% of daily value [DV])
- Riboflavin: 0.3mg (23% of DV)
- Niacin: 3.5mg (22% of DV)
- Vitamin B-6: 0.2mg (12% of DV)
- Folate: 33mcg (8% of DV)
- Vitamin A: 151mcg (17% of DV)
- Vitamin K: 1.7mcg (1.4% of DV)
- Magnesium: 68.4mg (16% of DV)
- Potassium: 821mg (18% of DV)
- Phosphorus: 160mg (13% of DV)
- Iron: 3.8mg (21% of DV)
- Sodium: 66.1mg (3% of DV)
- Calcium: 28.3mg (2% of DV)
Passion fruit is an outstanding source of vitamin C. A cup of the raw fruit contains 236 grams and provides 70.8 milligrams of vitamin C, a whopping 79% of your daily value of vitamin C.
Passion fruit contains riboflavin, niacin, vitamin A, and vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine). Folate and vitamin K are also present in passion fruit.
Passion fruit contains a good amount of minerals, including iron and magnesium. One cup of the fruit (236g) provides 21% and 16% of your daily value of iron and magnesium, respectively.
The quantity of potassium in a cup of passion fruit weighing 236 grams is 821 milligrams, which is about 18% of your daily value of potassium. It also contains other minerals like phosphorus, sodium, and calcium in a smaller amount.
Can passion fruit seeds be eaten?
Yes! Passion fruit is filled with gelatinous pulp that is full of seeds. The seeds are edible but tart. You can scoop the passion fruit pulp with a spoon, place it in a bowl, or eat it straight from the shell. You can as well blend them into a passion fruit puree.
The seeds have a lot of fiber which can serve as an excellent laxative to keep the digestive tract in good shape, relieve you of constipation, and flush out excess cholesterol from the blood vessels, thus preventing a large number of gastrointestinal conditions.
What are the benefits of eating passion fruit?
Passion fruit has a lot of health benefits due to its high fiber and phytochemical content, which range from preventing sickness to fostering optimal health.
Here are some benefits of eating passion fruit for health:
1. Passion supports heart health.
Passion fruit is a fiber-rich food. Because it is high in fiber, eating passion fruit with the seeds can help remove extra cholesterol from the inside of blood vessels.
Passion fruit is also loaded with heart-friendly minerals like potassium and is low in sodium. Foods rich in potassium and low in sodium help lower blood pressure by increasing vasodilation and urinary sodium excretion.
Consuming lots of potassium-rich foods like passion fruit may help keep your blood pressure low, reduce the risk of stroke and improve heart health.
In addition, passion fruit contains antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamin C. Antioxidants help to protect the heart from damage caused by free radicals.
2. Passion fruit may have immune-boosting properties.
Passion fruit is rich in antioxidants like vitamin C.
Vitamin C is vital in keeping your immune system healthy by scavenging the free radicals that can harm your cells.
A weakened immune system loses its ability to fight disease-causing organisms and its potential to prevent infections.
The vitamin A in passion fruit may also help to prevent diseases and illness. It plays a role in synthesizing white blood cells, which helps defend the body against infections.
3. Passion fruit may help to reduce symptoms of anemia.
Passion fruit is a good source of iron, with one cup of the fruit weighing 236 grams producing 3.8 grams of iron, which is about 21% of your daily value.
One of iron’s prominent roles in the body is to move oxygen around in the blood.
A shortage of iron in the body may lead to iron deficiency anemia, which could lead to fatigue, headache, and general weakness.
Since passion fruit is a good source of iron, eating a lot of it can help keep you from getting anemia.
4. Passion fruit may improve liver health.
Passion fruit contains choline that promotes liver health. Choline is crucial in the normal functioning of the liver and brain. Eating choline-rich meals may lower your chance of getting fatty liver disease.
A study revealed that rats fed choline-deficient diets developed a fatty liver which later progressed into fibrosis. Consuming a few cups of passion fruit with other choline-rich foods may help to improve your liver health.
5. Passion fruit may support digestive health.
Eating passion fruit may be the perfect fruit to eat when battling digestive issues.
This passion fruit has a high amount of fiber and other nutrients that support healthy digestion.
Fiber-rich foods like passion fruit promote healthy digestion by supporting the easy passage of your stool, which could help you avoid constipation.
A study showed that eating more fiber-rich foods could increase stool frequency in patients with constipation.
6. Passion fruit may help to promote skin health and improve wound healing.
Passion fruit is a fantastic source of vitamin C. One full cup of the fruit gives you almost all the vitamin C you need for the day. Since the body can’t make or store vitamin C, it is essential to get it from food every day.
Vitamin C is an important antioxidant. It helps to defend the skin against UV-induced photodamage. It is also needed to make collagen, an essential part of the skin.
Impairment in the synthesis of collagen which is an essential component of the connective tissue, results in poor healing of wounds.
If you eat passion fruit regularly, you may get enough vitamin C, which is good for your skin.
7. Passion fruit may help to improve eye health.
Passion fruit contains vitamin A in a reasonable amount. A cup of 236 grams produces about 17% of your daily value of vitamin A.
Vitamin A is essential for eyesight which helps to maintain a clear cornea, the outer covering of your eye. This vitamin is also a part of a protein in your eyes called rhodopsin, which helps you see better in dim light.
Passion fruit is also rich in carotenoids—beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin. They are provitamin A, meaning the body converts them into vitamin A in the intestine.
Furthermore, vitamin A may protect against a variety of eye diseases. Some studies suggest that vitamin A-rich diets may reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Additionally, passion fruit can help keep your eyes healthy due to its high vitamin C content.
Many observational studies suggest that vitamin C may help reduce your risk of developing cataracts
8. Passion fruit may be beneficial to cancer patients.
Passion fruit provides vitamin A in reasonable amounts and other antioxidants that help fight cancer-causing free radicals.
Studies revealed that vitamin A has preventive and therapeutic capacity against cancer.
Results of epidemiological studies published in Nutrients, also showed a diet rich in fruits and vegetables could lower the risk of certain cancers owing to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of their natural polyphenols possess.
In addition, the passion flower (flower of the plant that bears passion fruit) contains a specific naturally occurring flavone – chrysin. Studies have suggested that chrysin may possess anticancer properties.
Passion fruit seeds also contain a large amount of phytochemical – piceatannol.
Piceatannol is a polyphenol that has been shown to possess anticancer activities against colorectal cancer cells and prostate cancer cells.
9. Passion fruit may help to support bone health.
Fruits contain micronutrients and phytochemicals that are useful for bone formation and reabsorption.
Passion fruit contains minerals like calcium, iron, copper, selenium, potassium, and vitamin K.
Emerging evidence reveals that minerals like selenium, copper, potassium, and vitamin K, among others, could help to support bone health. When passion fruit is taken with other bone-strengthening foods may help to maintain bone density and prevent osteoporosis.
In support of the role of passion fruit in bone health, a study showed that passion fruit peel extract could help to substantially reduce osteoarthritis symptoms owing to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
10. Passion fruit may be beneficial to asthmatic patients.
The combination of bioflavonoids in passion fruit may benefit the respiratory system. A study showed that when asthmatic patients were given passion fruit peel extract the patients were relieved of asthmatic symptoms such as wheezing, cough, as well as shortness of breath.
11. Passion fruit may improve insulin sensitivity.
Piceatannol, a phytochemical in passion fruit seeds, may increase one’s sensitivity to insulin. Increasing insulin sensitivity can lower the chance of developing various illnesses, like diabetes, which means that people with diabetes can benefit from eating passion fruit.
In a small-scale study published in Nutrients, they looked at the effect of piceatannol on human metabolic health.
The researchers discovered that when overweight males with a basal metabolic index greater than 25 were given piceatannol at a dose of 20 mg every day for eight weeks, they had better metabolic health, including greater insulin sensitivity, compared to those who received a placebo.
How many varieties of passion fruit are there?
The well-known edible passion fruit can be divided into 4 main types:
Purple passion fruit: This type of passion fruit is initially green in color but turns purple when mature and ready to be picked and eaten.
The skin is hard and thick. The pulp is of an orange or greenish color and has various edible black seeds. The pulp of purple passion fruit is more juice-rich, more aromatic, and less acidic.
It has a jelly texture and a bittersweet taste; it is fleshy and refreshing.
Yellow passion fruit: Yellow passion fruit grows to a larger size than the purple version, and its vine is stronger and thicker. It has edible brown seeds.
Sweet granadilla: this type of passion fruit has an oval shape. The skin is a yellowish or orange color. The pulp is of a pale or grayish color, with a less acidic flavor.
Giant granadilla: This passion fruit has thick skin with many protrusions. It is usually the biggest but quite tasteless compared to the rest of the species.
Does passion fruit need to be refrigerated?
You can store a whole passion fruit at room temperature for about two weeks. While in a plastic bag or other sealed containers, whole passion fruit can last for about a month.
Store passion fruit in the fridge for no more than two days.
Storing your passion fruit in its whole form will help prevent dehydration.
Eating unripe passion fruit may not be palatable because it tastes bitter. So, you can keep passion fruit that isn’t ripe in the freezer and let it thaw before using it.
If you decide to freeze the whole fruit and thaw it, it may become soggy.
Slice the passion fruit in half and remove the pulp if you plan to freeze it. You can put the pulp in ice cube trays, a freezer-safe container, or a bag, which can then be stored in the freezer for like three months.
You can also freeze the seeds of passion fruit.
What are the side effects of eating passion fruit?
When passion fruit is ripe, it is usually safe to eat. Some people are allergic to it. Those with a latex allergy appear most at risk of a passion fruit allergy.
And it is because some plant proteins found in fruit have structures comparable to those of latex proteins, which might result in an allergic reaction in some people.
Passion fruit pulp at all development stages also contains a cyanogenic glycoside.
When these compounds undergo enzymatic degradation, they produce hydrogen cyanide, which may lead to cyanide poisoning.
However, the ripened passion fruit contains a small amount of the chemical cyanogenic glycoside, which is of no toxicological significance.
Summary.
Passion fruit is a nutrient-rich fruit. Eating this fruit gives you a good amount of vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, magnesium, and potassium.
Passion fruit is a good source of antioxidants and dietary fiber. Foods high in these nutrients have been associated with a reduced risk of some health challenges, such as heart and liver diseases.
Although it’s uncommon, there are isolated occurrences of passion fruit allergies. People who are allergic to latex are more vulnerable.
Passion fruit’s nutritional value makes it an excellent choice for your healthy diet.