BENEFITS OF LUCUMA
✓ Rich in fiber and replaces sugar
✓ Source of antioxidants
✓ Helps regulate blood sugar
✓ Protects the heart
What is lucuma?
Lucuma is a fruit from the Pouteria lucuma, a tree in the family Sapotaceae. It grows in the Andean valleys, in Peru and Ecuador, and can reach up to 15 meters in height. Its fruit is the main ingredient in delicious desserts, pastries, and ice cream in South America. It is nicknamed “the gold of the Incas” there.
The leaves of lucuma are dark green and concentrate at the end of the branches, while the yellow and green flowers produce the fruit, which takes about 9 months to reach maturity once the flower is pollinated. It takes on an oblong shape with a conical end. As for its flesh, it has a beautiful yellow-orange color, a dry texture, and a very sweet taste reminiscent of caramel, sweet potato, or maple syrup.
Originally, lucuma grows at high altitudes, between 2700 and 3000 meters. Initially found only in the Andes, the fruit is now mainly cultivated in coastal regions, around 500 meters, from October to March. Besides Peru and Ecuador, it is also found in Bolivia, Chile, and to a lesser extent in Costa Rica.
Peruvians have consumed it since ancient times. Lucuma was even part of the iconography of the Mochica people, between 100 and 700 AD: many objects representing this fruit have been found in burial sites. Europeans discovered it during the conquest, and its existence was first mentioned in Ecuador in 1531. The word lucuma comes from the Quechua lluku uma, meaning “ancestor’s head.”
Lucuma, as noted, has a dry texture when eaten raw. It is typically used to add flavor in cooking: to flavor juice, a cake, a mousse. But it is especially lucuma ice creams that enjoy enormous success in Peru and elsewhere in Latin America.
You get the point, this fruit is delicious! But it is also particularly healthy and nutritious. Lucuma is very rich in fibers, potassium, vitamin B3, antioxidants such as beta-carotene, and can advantageously replace sugar.
It is therefore a nutritional ally, particularly if one aims to reduce or replace sugar in their diet, to improve health, lose weight, or prevent certain diseases. In Europe, lucuma is mostly found in powder or food flour form, because its thin and fragile skin does not withstand shipping.
Nutritional Composition
- Fiber
- Protein
- Vitamins: A, B1, B2, B3, C
- Minerals and trace elements: calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, sodium
The benefits of lucuma
🍦 Rich in fiber and replaces sugar
The nutritional value of lucuma is very high; it has a low glycemic index, and its delicate and sweet taste allows it to replace or limit refined sugar in our diet.
It is especially rich in soluble and insoluble fibers, aiding digestion and transit. On one hand, the insoluble fibers in lucuma help increase stool volume and prevent constipation. On the other hand, the soluble fibers it contains nourish the microbiota (formerly intestinal flora), acting as prebiotics.
They also facilitate the absorption of minerals by our body. And indeed, lucuma also contains these: notably calcium, but also iron, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium.
Fibers contribute to the health of our digestive system, but not only. Their beneficial effect on digestion helps improve our general state of health, the proper functioning of our brain, and prevent certain diseases.
Alongside this nutritional benefit, lucuma advantageously replaces sugar in our diet. It provides an interesting alternative to refined sugar, especially since only a small amount of lucuma powder can easily sweeten a dessert or a drink.
🥝 Source of antioxidants
Lucuma is an excellent source of antioxidants. They protect us by fighting against damage from free radicals, which are molecules that deteriorate our cells and accelerate aging. They are also useful as they protect us against heart disorders and can prevent the onset of cancers.
Our fruit is rich in polyphenols and carotenoids, antioxidants particularly active against inflammations. It owes its beautiful yellow-orange color to them. These also notably protect our eyes. Among its notable antioxidants is vitamin C.
This in-vitro study conducted by various Chilean universities demonstrates the antioxidant activity of lucuma.
🍭 Helps regulate blood sugar
Lucuma, or at least its components, may help to regulate and lower blood sugar levels (blood sugar levels), and protect against type 2 diabetes.
It contains simple sugars, but mainly complex carbohydrates: starch and fiber. These help to regulate blood sugar levels and protect against diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity and preventing spikes in blood sugar following a meal.
The mechanisms of lucuma are similar to those of antidiabetic drugs. It blocks the action of enzymes that convert complex carbohydrates into simple sugars, the alpha-glucosidase enzymes.
Furthermore, as we’ve seen before, lucuma has a low glycemic index and easily replaces sugar in desserts, snacks, and drinks, which mechanically reduces sugar levels. However, it is important to consume it in moderation.
This in-vitro study conducted by various Chilean universities demonstrates the anti-hyperglycemic properties of lucuma.
This one, conducted by the University of Sao Paulo on various native Peruvian fruits including lucuma, shows that it inhibits the alpha-glucosidase enzyme and its potential to complement antidiabetic drugs.
❤️ Protects the heart
Thanks to the polyphenols it contains, lucuma may help protect the heart from heart diseases. These contribute in particular to lowering blood pressure.
These properties are still being studied, although the initial results are promising.
This study, conducted by the University of Sao Paulo on various native Peruvian fruits including lucuma, shows its antihypertensive potential.
How to consume lucuma?
Lucuma powder
Unless you visit a Peruvian or Chilean grocery store, which might offer frozen lucuma pulp, it will be difficult to find it elsewhere than in South America. However, lucuma powder is sold in organic stores and e-commerce.
This is obtained by drying the flesh at low temperature, to preserve all its health benefits, then grinding the fruit until a fine powder is obtained. This powder is ochre and resembles the initial color of the fruit.
As usual, organic lucuma and fair-trade certified is preferable.
In organic stores, you can also find mixes of several superfoods containing lucuma, often mixed with maca or moringa, both for its properties and to soften the taste of the mix.
Lucuma powder pairs very well with other fruits. You can sprinkle it on a fruit salad (it works particularly well with bananas, apples, mangoes for instance), a muesli, a yogurt, blend it into smoothies…
You can also dissolve it in water, but it would be a shame to miss out on its sweetening power!
Lucuma as a sugar substitute
We consume an average of 35 kg of refined sugar per year! Not only does it bring little from a nutritional standpoint, but it is also addictive, the cause of many pathologies, and promotes obesity.
Lucuma powder is a good alternative, just like honey or agave syrup. You can easily prepare desserts and snacks with it instead of ordinary sugar. Its taste when cooked will be similar to that of brown sugar.
It is suggested to replace half of the sugar in a cake recipe, or other, with lucuma powder. It also makes a good thickener.
Dosage
⏳You can add lucuma to your diet throughout the year, as a sugar substitute. There is no “cure” as such.
⚖️ The recommended doses range from 5 to 15g per day. One should consume it in moderation!
Contraindications and side effects
At recommended doses, there are no contraindications or side effects. If you have allergies to exotic fruits, it’s better to consult a doctor before consuming lucuma.
History, culture, and market
From the Andes to Hawaii
Originating from the Andean valleys, archaeological traces of lucuma cultivation and use have been found among pre-Inca peoples, on the Pacific coast, such as the Nazca and Mochica. These people have widely represented it in their everyday objects and used its wood for architectural purposes.
The earliest evidence of its consumption was found in Ancash, in northern Peru, along the Pacific. They date back to 6000 B.C. Since then, lucuma has been part of the daily diet of pre-Columbian peoples, alongside corn and quinoa.
When the Spanish conquistadors arrived, it was also cultivated in southern Ecuador. It was later introduced to Bolivia, Chile, and since the early 20th century, to Costa Rica. Today, it can even be found in Mexico and Hawaii! Additionally, cultivation trials have taken place in Florida, although the tree could not properly adapt to the climate.
A native fruit from the mountains that grows better on the coast
The lucuma tree ideally grows between 20 and 22°C in a temperate climate. It requires soil rich in nutrients with a neutral pH, although it can tolerate more alkaline land. Resistant to episodes of drought or humidity, it cannot, however, develop well at high temperatures or during heavy rains, and does not withstand frost.
Although it is native to the Andes and originally grew at high altitude, lucuma today finds its optimal growing conditions at 500 meters above sea level. In this context, the tree produces between 200 and 300 fruits, four years after planting.
A national dessert and an expanding market
Lucuma is Peru’s national dessert. The locals primarily consume it in ice cream and pastries, such as the suspiro limeño con lucuma, a particularly delicious fruit cream and meringue. The famous chef Gaston Acurio has contributed to its global fame by inventing the brownie de chocolate con mousse de lucuma.
The lucuma market is expanding. In Peru, its export has increased by 16% since 2015. Chile is the main exporter of the fresh fruit and its frozen pulp. The United States is the main destination for lucuma powder, followed by Europe.
Sources and scientific studies
Fuentealba C, Gálvez L, Cobos A, Olaeta JA, Defilippi BG, Chirinos R, Campos D, Pedreschi R, 2016. Characterization of main primary and secondary metabolites and in vitro antioxidant and antihyperglycemic properties in the mesocarp of three biotypes of Pouteria lucuma.
Pinto Mda S, Ranilla LG, Apostolidis E, Lajolo FM, Genovese MI, Shetty K, 2009. Evaluation of antihyperglycemia and antihypertension potential of native Peruvian fruits using in vitro models.
