Lucuma – The Healthy Sweetener

Lucuma is a fruit from the South American Andes. The yellow fruit is not available fresh from us but in the form of deliciously aromatic lucuma powder. The powder not only tastes good but is also sweet. It can therefore be used as a healthy sweetener in desserts, shakes, smoothies, mueslis, and much more. Lucuma is healthy for several reasons: The fruit not only provides vital substances and antioxidants and therefore has an anti-inflammatory effect, but it also pleases the blood sugar level with a particularly low glycemic load.

Lucuma – The gold of the Incas

Lucuma (Pouteria lucuma) is a fruit native to the Andes of Peru, Ecuador, and Chile. The tree, which is up to 15 meters high and extremely drought-resistant, now grows in many subtropical regions as far north as Asia.

Lucuma was already highly valued in Inca times – the fruit was called the “Gold of the Incas” – probably not least because of its yolk-yellow color, which is why it was also called eggplant. From a purely visual point of view, the ancient Incas thought that lucuma fruits are reminiscent of female breasts – and lucuma was already considered a fruit of fertility.

In addition, Lucuma tastes and smells exceptionally good – like a mixture of mango and apricot with a hint of caramel. In addition, lucuma has a clear inherent sweetness and is therefore still used today as a flavoring ingredient for drinks or ice cream and is also suitable as a mild and healthy sweetener.

Lucuma and the criticism of the consumer center

Lucuma powder is therefore not used or recommended as a fruit substitute – as the consumer center apparently assumes because it advises eating apples, blueberries, or strawberries instead of lucuma. Instead, lucuma powder is used in small amounts (1 – 2 tablespoons) as a mild but aromatic natural sweetener. It is therefore also superfluous to compare Lucuma with local fruit in terms of nutrients (as the consumer advice center does).

Because you don’t exactly expect a sweetener to provide you with large amounts of vitamins or minerals. A healthy sweetener, on the other hand, should taste sweet and contain as few isolated carbohydrates as possible, thus keeping the blood sugar level in check. If it also provides a few vital substances at the same time – all the better.

Incidentally, all three of the Lucuma substitute fruits or fruit powders recommended by the consumer advice center are not at all suitable as sweeteners. Blueberry and strawberry powder are hardly sweet, nor are they particularly aromatic. Apple powder is quite aromatic and could possibly be tried, but it is significantly more expensive than lucuma powder and also very rich in pectin, which is why it is used more as a remedy for diarrhea and is therefore available in the medicine chest.

Lucuma – The healthy sweetener

It is extremely practical, especially for use as a sweetener, that Lucuma is now available in powder form in Europe, so that it can easily be used in desserts, shakes, and smoothies or even for pastries. The fruit is dried (or freeze-dried) at low temperatures and gently pulverized.

There is about 1 kilogram of fresh Lucuma fruit in 4 spoonfuls of Lucuma powder. To sweeten desserts and shakes, 1 tablespoon (approx. 7.5 g) of the powder is generally sufficient per serving.

The nutritional values of Lucuma

The nutritional values of lucuma powder are as follows per 100 g:

• Calorific value 1376 kJ / 329 kcal (other lucuma powders can also have more kcal)
• Fat 2.4g
• Carbohydrates 84.2 g (of which sugar 14.3 g) (apple powder, on the other hand, has a KH content of 93 g, of which 81 g is sugar)
• protein 1.4 g

With other lucuma powders you will find this information:

• 2.3 grams of dietary fiber
• 92 mg calcium
• 760 mg of potassium
• 4 mg iron
• 2.8 mg zinc

Lucuma versus sugar

With 1 tablespoon of lucuma powder (7.5 g), you only consume 25 kcal and 6.3 g of carbohydrates (1 g of which is sugar). If you were to use table sugar instead, you would need less because its sweetening power is stronger, but even if you only used 1/4 tbsp, that would be 4 g (sugar weighs more than lucuma powder) and since sugar is 99.8 percent consists of sugar, also 4 g sugar, i.e. four times the sugar amount of lucuma powder.

Lucuma – The sweetener that protects against diabetes

Despite its long history, lucuma has been the subject of only a few scientific studies. However, in a study on diabetes, the yellow fruit was the focus of observations:

The lucuma fruit and powder have a high carbohydrate content, which is why one might assume that the fruit and powder are not ideal for blood sugar levels. Interestingly, despite its high carbohydrate content, the lucuma fruit is said to have antidiabetic properties because it is said to inhibit the so-called alpha-glucosidase, an enzyme that helps in the digestion of carbohydrates in the intestine.

By inhibiting the enzyme, the carbohydrates that come with the food are digested more slowly, the glucose enters the blood more slowly and the blood sugar level also rises more slowly.

Lucuma is therefore a good sweetener for anyone who wants to avoid blood sugar fluctuations. This includes not only diabetics but all health-conscious people because blood sugar fluctuations are an important cause of chronic inflammation – and these in turn are the first harbingers of chronic diseases of all kinds (from high blood pressure to autoimmune diseases to cancer).

For every spoonful of sugar, take two spoonfuls of Lucuma. However, since the lucuma powder does not dissolve and you should always think about its own taste, it is not suitable for coffee and tea, but very good for fruity desserts, yogurts, muesli, and shakes.

How well Lucuma can protect the blood sugar level is also shown by its low glycemic load:

Lucuma and the glycemic load

Lucuma’s glycemic load (GL) is estimated at 7. The glycemic load indicates how much food affects blood sugar levels. So that you can see how good the GL value of Lucuma is, here are the values ​​of other sweet foods and sweeteners for comparison.

Lucuma and its health effects

Lucuma not only gives sweetness, aroma and a low GL. At the same time, it provides a multitude of other health benefits – not least thanks to its numerous vital substances and dietary fibers.

For example, Lucuma has a high content of polyphenols and beta-carotene (the latter 50 mg/100 g). There is also around 100 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of fruit.

The ingredients are of course also responsible for the health benefits of the fruit. Lucuma should u. Reduce inflammation, boost the immune system, lower blood pressure and protect against some forms of cancer.

It is the antioxidant content in particular that leads to these effects: In a study from 2009, researchers from the University of São Paolo examined various local types of fruit to see whether they could be used as cost-effective therapy options for the two widespread diseases type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure could.

In addition to Lucuma, mountain papayas, physalis, carob and others were also examined. The content of the phenolic substances, which are considered to be particularly effective as antioxidants, was determined, as well as the antioxidant activity and the ability to inhibit alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase and the enzyme ACE. Inhibiting all of these enzymes is crucial for treating diabetes and high blood pressure.

It turned out that lucuma had the highest phenol content (11.4 mg/g in dry matter) of all the fruits examined and thus also had the highest antioxidant activity.

Lucuma and carob also had the best ability to inhibit the alpha-glucosidase described above, which is very useful in diabetes.

The researchers were therefore of the opinion that many fruits, especially lucuma, can be used in the therapy of type 2 diabetes and – due to the antioxidant power – also in many other chronic diseases.

Lucuma for the skin

The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of lucuma can also be beneficial for sensitive skin. In the native countries of the fruit, lucuma oil – i.e. the oil pressed from the lucuma core – is applied directly to the skin in the case of poorly healing wounds and any skin problems, which was also confirmed in a study from 2010. According to the researchers at the time, Lucuma can close wounds and promote skin regeneration.

But the consumption of lucuma powder is also beneficial for the skin. The contained carotenoids – e.g. Vitamins such as beta-carotene, a red-orange pigment that can be converted into vitamin A by the body, can help repair sun-damaged skin and reverse skin aging processes.

Not only the antioxidant abilities of beta-carotene are at work here, but also the properties of vitamin A. This promotes skin repair, visibly improves skin tone and reduces fine lines and wrinkles.

Studies have shown that beta-carotene also provides the skin with greater sun protection or improves the effectiveness of sun protection products. For example, anyone who consumes 90 – 180 mg of beta carotene daily achieves a sun protection factor of 4 and thus reduces UV-related skin damage.

Lucuma – The application

Test the lucuma powder and enjoy its delicious aroma for shakes, smoothies and protein drinks. Lucuma also tastes wonderful with desserts such as puddings, quark and yoghurt dishes as well as with cakes and homemade ice cream. In Peru, Lucuma is even the most popular type of ice cream in the country. Of course, don’t overdo it either and don’t eat more than 2 tablespoons of lucuma powder a day.

Incidentally, Lucuma not only sweetens and flavors, but also has emulsifying properties (i.e. combines fats with watery ingredients), so that thanks to Lucuma, desserts, ice creams and dessert sauces have a pleasantly creamy consistency.

Ice cream with lucuma

You can easily prepare a Lucuma ice cream – here in the vegan version – like this:

• ½ cup lucuma powder (125 ml; since 1 cup equals 250 ml)
• 1 cup cashews (soaked for 2 hours, then drained)
• 2 cm of a vanilla pod or 1 tablespoon of vanilla powder
• ¼ cup coconut water
• 1 cup of water
• 1 pinch of salt

Mix everything in the high-speed blender to a fine consistency and pour into the ice cream maker or place in an ice cream container and freezer.

Smoothie zabaglione style

• 1 tbsp lucuma powder
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 date
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla powder
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ½ cup ice cream

Mix everything well and sprinkle with some cinnamon, serve immediately!