View source for Soursop

{{short description|Tropical fruit tree}}
{{For|the herbaceous plant|Oxalis pes-caprae{{!}}''Oxalis pes-caprae''}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc|display-authors=3}}
{{speciesbox
|image = Soursop, Annona muricata.jpg
|image2 = Annona muricata 1.jpg
|image2_alt = A spiy green fruit growing on a tree
|image2_caption = Soursop fruit on its tree
|genus = Annona
|species = muricata
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
|synonyms = ''Annona macrocarpa'' <small>Wercklé</small><br />
''Annona crassiflora'' <small>Mart.</small><ref name="GRIN">{{GRIN | ''Annona muricata'' | 3492 | access-date = 2008-04-18}}</ref><br />
''Guanabanus muricatus'' <small>M.Gómez</small><br />
''Guanabanus muricatus'' <small>(L.) M.Gómez</small><ref name="IPNI">{{cite web
 | url = http://www.ipni.org/ipni/idPlantNameSearch.do?id=14308-2&show_history=false&output_format=normal
 | title = Plant Name Details Annonaceae ''Aluguntugui'' L.
 | access-date = 2008-04-18
 | publisher = [[International Organization for Plant Information]] (IOPI)
 | work = International Plant Names Index
 | archive-date = October 27, 2016
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161027054550/http://www.ipni.org/ipni/idPlantNameSearch.do?id=14308-2&show_history=false&output_format=normal
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref><br />
''Annona bonplandiana'' <small>Kunth</small><br />
''Annona cearensis'' <small>Barb. Rodr.</small><br />
''Annona muricata'' <small>Vell.</small><ref name="MBG">{{cite web
 | url = http://www.tropicos.org/Name/1600001
 | title = ''Annona muricata'' L.
 | access-date = 2008-04-18
 | website = Tropicos.org
 | publisher = [[Missouri Botanical Garden]] Press
 | archive-date = October 12, 2016
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161012135903/http://www.tropicos.org/Name/1600001
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref><br />
''Annona muricata'' var. ''borinquensis''<ref name="MBG"/>
}}
[[File:Annona muricata fleur2.jpg|thumb|150px|''A. muricata'' flower]]

'''Soursop''' (also called '''graviola''', '''guyabano''', and in [[Latin America]] '''{{lang|es|guanábana}}''') is the fruit of ''Annona muricata'', a broadleaf, flowering, [[evergreen]] [[tree]].<ref name="cabi">{{cite web|title=''Annona muricata'' (soursop)|url=https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/5812|publisher=CABI|access-date=25 May 2018|date=3 January 2018|archive-date=May 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526041524/https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/5812|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="morton">{{cite web|author1=Julia F. Morton|title=Soursop, ''Annona muricata''|url=https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/soursop.html|publisher=New Crop Resource Online Program, Center for New Crops & Plant Products, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University|access-date=25 May 2018|location=West Lafayette, IN|date=1987|archive-date=April 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425202833/https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/soursop.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It is native to the [[Tropics|tropical]] regions of the [[Americas]] and the [[Caribbean]] and is widely propagated.<ref name=morton/>  It is in the same genus, ''[[Annona]]'', as [[cherimoya]] and is in the [[Annonaceae]] family.

The soursop is adapted to areas of high humidity and relatively warm winters; temperatures below {{convert|5|°C|abbr=on}} will cause damage to leaves and small branches, and temperatures below {{convert|3|°C|abbr=on}} can be fatal. The fruit becomes dry and is no longer good for concentrate.

With an aroma similar to [[pineapple]],<ref name=morton/> the flavor of the fruit has been described as a combination of strawberries and apple with sour [[citrus]] flavor notes, contrasting with an underlying thick creamy texture reminiscent of [[banana]].

Soursop is widely promoted (sometimes as graviola) as an [[Alternative cancer treatments|alternative cancer treatment]], but there is no reliable [[evidence-based medicine|medical evidence]] that it is effective for treating cancer or any disease.<ref name=canuk/>

Soursop leaves, skin, flesh, and seeds contain [[annonacin]], a compound under preliminary research for its potential [[neurotoxicity]].

==''Annona muricata''==
''Annona muricata'' is a species of the genus ''[[Annona]]'' of the [[custard apple]] tree family, [[Annonaceae]], which has edible fruit.<ref name=cabi/><ref name=morton/>  The fruit is usually called soursop due to its slightly acidic taste when ripe.  ''Annona muricata'' is native to the [[Caribbean]] and [[Central America]] but is now widely cultivated – and in some areas, becoming [[Invasive species|invasive]] – in tropical and subtropical climates throughout the world, such as [[India]].<ref name=cabi/><ref name=morton/>

The ''A. muricata'' fruit is generally called ''guanábana'' in Hispanic America, and the tree is a ''guanábano''.

==Botanical description==
[[File:Annona muricata Blanco1.196.png|thumb|150px|Botanical drawing showing flower, leaves, and fruit]]

''Annona muricata'' is a small, upright, [[evergreen]] tree that can grow to about {{cvt|10|m|ft|0}} tall.<ref name="FoC">{{cite web | title=''Annona muricata'' in Flora of China| website=eFloras.org Home | url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200008507 | access-date=2025-07-01}}</ref><ref name=cabi/><ref name=morton/>

Its young branches are [[Trichome|hairy]].<ref name="FoC"/> The leaves are oblong to oval, {{cvt|8|to|16|cm|in}} long and {{cvt|3|to|7|cm|in}} wide. They are a glossy dark green with no hairs above, and paler and minutely hairy to no hairs below.<ref name="FoC"/>  The leaf stalks are {{cvt|4|to|13|mm|in}} long and without hairs.<ref name="FoC"/>

Flower stalks (peduncles) are {{cvt|2|to|5|mm|in}} long and woody. They appear opposite from the leaves or as an extra from near the leaf stalk, each with one or two flowers, occasionally a third.<ref name="FoC"/>  Stalks for the individual flowers (pedicels) are stout and woody, minutely hairy to hairless and {{cvt|15|to|20|mm|in}} with small bractlets nearer to the base which are densely hairy.<ref name="FoC"/>

The petals are thick and yellowish. Outer petals meet at the edges without overlapping and are broadly ovate, {{cvt|2.8|to|3.3|cm|in}} by {{cvt|2.1|to|2.5|cm|in}}, tapering to a point with a heart shaped base. They are evenly thick, and are covered with long, slender, soft hairs externally and matted finely with soft hairs within. Inner petals are oval shaped and overlap. They measure roughly {{cvt|2.5|to|2.8|cm|in}} by {{cvt|2|cm|in}}, and are sharply angled and tapering at the base. Margins are comparatively thin, with fine matted soft hairs on both sides. The receptacle is conical and hairy. The stamens are {{cvt|4.5|mm|in}} long and narrowly wedge-shaped. The connective-tip terminate abruptly and anther hollows are unequal. Sepals are quite thick and do not overlap. Carpels are linear and basally growing from one base. The ovaries are covered with dense reddish brown hairs, 1-ovuled, style short and stigma truncate.<ref name="FoC"/> Its pollen is shed as permanent tetrads.<ref>Walker JW (1971) Pollen Morphology, Phytogeography, and Phylogeny of the Annonaceae. Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University, 202: 1–130.</ref>

The [[fruit]] is oval, dark green when immature, with a leathery, inedible skin that turns yellow-green during maturity.<ref name=morton/> They grow to {{cvt|10|–|35|cm|in}} long,<ref name="FoC"/>  with a moderately firm texture, and typically weigh around {{cvt|4|kg}}, up to a maximum of {{cvt|10|kg}}.<ref name="Okoye">{{cite book | last1=Okoye | first1=Theophine Chinwuba | last2=Uzor | first2=Phillip F. | last3=Onyeto | first3=Collins A. | last4=Okereke | first4=Emeka K. | title=Toxicological Survey of African Medicinal Plants | chapter=Safe African Medicinal Plants for Clinical Studies | publisher=Elsevier | year=2014 | isbn=978-0-12-800018-2 | doi=10.1016/b978-0-12-800018-2.00018-2 | pages=535–555}}</ref> Their flesh is juicy, acidic, whitish, and aromatic somewhat like pineapple, although with a unique earthy aroma.<ref name=morton/> Most of the immature segments are seedless, whereas mature fruit may contain as many as 200 seeds.<ref name=morton/>

==Distribution==
''Annona muricata'' is tolerant of poor soil<ref name=morton/> and prefers lowland areas between the altitudes of 0 to {{cvt|1200|m|ft}}. The exact origin is unknown; it is native to the [[Tropics|tropical]] regions of the [[Americas]] and is widely propagated.<ref name=cabi/><ref name=morton/> It is an introduced species on all temperate continents, especially in [[subtropical]] regions.<ref name=cabi/><ref name=morton/>

==Cultivation==
The plant is grown for its {{cvt|10|-|35|cm|abbr=on}} long, prickly, green fruit, which can weigh up to {{cvt|10|kg}}, making it the largest ''Annona'' fruit,<ref name="Okoye"/> though not as large as the related [[Anonidium mannii|junglesop]] ''Anonidium mannii''. Away from its native area, some limited production occurs as far north as southern [[Florida]] within [[USDA Zone]] 10; however, these are mostly garden plantings for local consumption. It is also grown in parts of [[China]] and [[Southeast Asia]] and is abundant on the Island of [[Mauritius]]. The main suppliers of the fruit are Mexico followed by Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Haiti.<ref>{{cite book|last= Gordon |first= André |title=Food Safety and Quality Systems in Developing Countries|page=6|url={{Google books|JOqcBAAAQBAJ|page=42|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> To aid soursop breeders and stimulate further development of genomic resources for this globally important plant family, the complete genome for ''Annona muricata'' was sequenced in 2021.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Strijk|first1=Joeri S.|last2=Hinsinger|first2=Damien D.|last3=Roeder|first3=Mareike M.|last4=Chatrou|first4=Lars W.|last5=Couvreur|first5=Thomas L. P.|last6=Erkens|first6=Roy H. J.|last7=Sauquet|first7=Hervé|last8=Pirie|first8=Michael D.|last9=Thomas|first9=Daniel C.|last10=Cao|first10=Kunfang|title=Chromosome-level reference genome of the soursop (Annona muricata): A new resource for Magnoliid research and tropical pomology|journal=Molecular Ecology Resources|year=2021|volume=21|issue=5|pages=1608–1619|language=en|doi=10.1111/1755-0998.13353|pmid=33569882|pmc=8251617|issn=1755-0998|doi-access=free|bibcode=2021MolER..21.1608S }}</ref>

== Uses ==
=== Culinary ===
[[File:Guanábana on sale 04.jpg|thumb|Guanábana fruit on sale at a farmer's market in [[Goicoechea (canton)|Goicoechea]], Costa Rica]]
[[File:Guanábana juice.jpg|thumb|Guanábana juice served at a restaurant in [[San José, Costa Rica|San José]], Costa Rica]]
The flesh of the fruit consists of an edible, white [[juice vesicles|pulp]], some fiber, and a core of indigestible black seeds. The pulp is also used to make fruit nectar, smoothies, fruit juice drinks, as well as candies, [[sorbet]]s, and ice cream flavorings.<ref name=cabi/><ref name=morton/> Due to the fruit's widespread cultivation, its derivative products are consumed in many countries, such as [[Jamaica]], [[Mexico]], [[Brazil]], [[Venezuela]], [[Colombia]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tropicalfruitveg.com/spdetail-2343-soursop |title=Soursop |access-date=20 March 2019 |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030152533/http://tropicalfruitveg.com/spdetail-2343-soursop |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Fiji]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rove.me/to/fiji/soursop-season |title=Soursop Season |access-date=20 March 2019 |archive-date=May 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240506202834/https://rove.me/to/fiji/soursop-season |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Nutrition ==

{{nutritional value
| name=Soursop, raw
| kJ=276
| protein=1 g
| fat=0.3 g
| carbs=16.84 g
| fiber=3.3 g
| sugars=13.54 g
| calcium_mg=14
| iron_mg=0.6
| magnesium_mg=21
| phosphorus_mg=27
| potassium_mg=278
| sodium_mg=14
| zinc_mg=0.1
| vitC_mg=20.6
| thiamin_mg=0.07
| riboflavin_mg=0.05
| niacin_mg=0.9
| pantothenic_mg=0.253
| vitB6_mg=0.059
| folate_ug=14
| choline_mg=7.6
| water=81 g
| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/167761/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}

Raw soursop is 81% water, 17% [[carbohydrate]]s, 1% [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], and has negligible [[fat]] (see table). In a reference amount of {{cvt|100|g}}, the raw fruit supplies {{convert|276|kJ|kcal|abbr=off}} of [[food energy]], and contains only [[vitamin C]] as a significant amount (23%) of the [[Reference Daily Intake|Daily Value]], with no other [[micronutrient]]s in appreciable amounts (table).

==Phytochemicals==
The compound [[annonacin]] is contained in the fruit, seeds, and leaves of soursop.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.toxlet.2011.05.197|title=Annonaceae fruits and parkinsonism risk: Metabolisation study of annonacin, a model neurotoxin; evaluation of human exposure|year=2011|last1=Le Ven|first1=J.|last2=Schmitz-Afonso|first2=I.|last3=Touboul|first3=D.|last4=Buisson|first4=D.|last5=Akagah|first5=B.|last6=Cresteil|first6=T.|last7=Lewin|first7=G.|last8=Champy|first8=P.|journal=Toxicology Letters|volume=205|pages=S50–S51}}</ref><ref name=mskcc/><ref name="Potts">{{cite journal | last1=Potts | first1=Lisa F. | last2=Luzzio | first2=Frederick A. | last3=Smith | first3=Scott C. | last4=Hetman | first4=Michal | last5=Champy | first5=Pierre | last6=Litvan | first6=Irene | title=Annonacin in Asimina triloba fruit: Implication for neurotoxicity | journal=NeuroToxicology| volume=33 | issue=1 | year=2012 | issn=0161-813X | doi=10.1016/j.neuro.2011.10.009 | pages=53–58|pmid=22130466| bibcode=2012NeuTx..33...53P }}</ref> The leaves of ''Annona muricata'' contain [[annonamine]], which is an [[aporphine]]-class [[alkaloid]] containing a [[Quaternary ammonium cation|quaternary ammonium]] group.<ref>{{Cite journal|author1=Matsushige, A |author2=Kotake, Y |author3=Matsunami, K |author4=Otsuka, H |author5=Ohta, S |author6=Takeda, Y |year=2012|title=Annonamine, a new aporphine alkaloid from the leaves of Annona muricata|journal=Chem Pharm Bull|volume=60|issue=2|pmid=22293487|doi=10.1248/cpb.60.257|pages=257–9|doi-access=free}}</ref> The plant also contains [[lichexanthone]], a compound in the [[xanthone]] class.<ref name="Yamthe et al. 2015">{{cite journal |last1=Yamthe |first1=Lauve |last2=Fokou |first2=Patrick |last3=Mbouna |first3=Cedric |last4=Keumoe |first4=Rodrigue |last5=Ndjakou | first5=Bruno |last6=Djouonzo |first6=Paul |last7=Mfopa |first7=Alvine |last8=Legac | first8=Jennifer |last9=Tsabang |first9=Nole |last10=Gut |first10=Jiri |last11=Rosenthal |first11=Philip | last12=Boyom |first12=Fabrice |title=Extracts from ''Annona muricata'' L. and ''Annona reticulata'' L. (Annonaceae) potently and selectively inhibit ''Plasmodium falciparum'' |journal=Medicines |volume=2 |issue=2 |year=2015 |doi=10.3390/medicines2020055 |pmc=5533161 |pmid=28930201 |pages=55–66 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Neurotoxicity===
[[File:Annonacin.svg|thumb|[[Annonacin]], a [[neurotoxin]] found in soursop|left]]The [[Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center]] cautions, "alkaloids extracted from graviola may cause neuronal dysfunction".<ref name=mskcc>{{cite web|publisher=Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center|url=http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/herb/graviola|date=1 February 2017|access-date=25 May 2018|title=Graviola|archive-date=November 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113034040/http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/herb/graviola|url-status=live}}</ref> Annonacin has been shown in laboratory research to be [[neurotoxin|neurotoxic]].<ref name=mskcc/><ref name=Potts/><ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-3-211-45295-0_24 |title=Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders |year=2006 |last1=Lannuzel |first1=A. |last2=Höglinger |first2=G. U. |last3=Champy |first3=P. |last4=Michel |first4=P. P. |last5=Hirsch |first5=E. C. |last6=Ruberg |first6=M. |chapter=Is atypical parkinsonism in the Caribbean caused by the consumption of Annonacae? |isbn=978-3-211-28927-3 |volume=70 |pages=153–157 |pmid=17017523 |series=Journal of Neural Transmission. Supplementa |issue=70 }}</ref> In 2010, the French food safety agency, [[Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé|Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé]], concluded that "it is not possible to confirm that the observed cases of atypical Parkinson syndrome ... are linked to the consumption of ''Annona muricata''".<ref name=AFSSA>{{cite web|title=Avis de l'Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des aliments relatif aux risques liés à la consommation de corossol et de ses préparations|url=http://www.anses.fr/sites/default/files/documents/NUT2008sa0171.pdf|date=28 April 2010|access-date=1 August 2013|publisher=Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des aliments|archive-date=May 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140501135750/http://www.anses.fr/sites/default/files/documents/NUT2008sa0171.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

===False cancer treatment claims===
In 2008, the [[Federal Trade Commission]] in the United States stated that use of soursop to treat cancer was "[[counterfeit|bogus]]", and there was "no credible scientific evidence" that the extract of soursop sold by Bioque Technologies "can prevent, cure, or treat cancer of any kind."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/09/boguscures.shtm |title=FTC Sweep Stops Peddlers of Bogus Cancer Cures |date=18 September 2008 |publisher=US Federal Trade Commission}}</ref> Also in 2008, a UK court case relating to the sale of Triamazon, a soursop product, resulted in the criminal conviction of a man under the terms of the [[Cancer Act 1939|UK Cancer Act]] for offering to treat people for cancer. A spokesman for the council that instigated the action stated, "it is as important now as it ever was that people are protected from those peddling unproven products with spurious claims as to their effects."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[BBC News]]|date=10 September 2008|title=Man convicted over cancer 'cure'|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/7608256.stm|archive-date=September 13, 2008|access-date=August 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913075806/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7608256.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center]] and [[Cancer Research UK]] state that cancer treatment using soursop is not supported by [[evidence-based medicine|reliable clinical evidence]].<ref name="canuk">{{cite web|url=http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative-therapies/individual-therapies/graviola|title=Graviola (soursop)|date=22 October 2018|publisher=[[Cancer Research UK]]|access-date=29 December 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702041735/http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative-therapies/individual-therapies/graviola|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=mskcc/> According to Cancer Research UK, "Many sites on the internet advertise and promote graviola capsules as a cancer cure, but none of them are supported by any reputable scientific cancer organizations" and "there is no evidence to show that graviola works as a cure for cancer".<ref name=canuk/>

== See also ==
* ''[[Annona crassiflora]]''
* ''[[Annona reticulata]]''
* ''[[Asimina triloba]]''
* [[Atemoya]]
* [[Cherimoya]]
* [[List of unproven and disproven cancer treatments]]
* [[Sugar-apple]]

{{Clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Annona muricata}}
* {{wikispecies-inline}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041121190234/http://sun.ars-grin.gov:8080/npgspub/xsql/duke/plantdisp.xsql?taxon=91 Soursop, List of Chemicals, Dr. James Duke, USDA Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases, November 2004]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1709343}}
{{Unproven and disproven cancer treatments}}

[[Category:Alternative cancer treatments]]
[[Category:Annona]]
[[Category:Flora of Brazil]]
[[Category:Flora of Jamaica]]
[[Category:Jamaican cuisine]]
[[Category:Tropical fruit]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Flora without expected TNC conservation status]]
[[Category:Mexican cuisine]]