Overview
About Atemoya
Atemoya is a deliberate cross between cherimoya (Annona cherimola) and sugar apple (Annona squamosa), first raised in Florida in 1908, and that parentage is the most useful thing to know about it.
Our grades currently read clean straight down the column: A for histamine, tyramine, salicylates, oxalates, nickel, gluten, lactose, free glutamates, sulfites, nightshades and lectins, with nothing flagged anywhere. Treat the FODMAP picture with more caution than that suggests. Total FODMAPs, excess fructose and polyols are unrated for atemoya rather than tested low, and both parent fruits carry heavy grades: cherimoya is E for FODMAPs and polyols with D for excess fructose, and sugar apple is D, D and C. A fruit that tastes this sugary and custardy and sits genetically between those two is unlikely to be a low FODMAP outlier, so if you have IBS or fructose malabsorption, start with a small portion and log it rather than trusting the unrated columns. The other thing atemoya inherits is the Annona seed rule. Analysis of atemoya leaves, pulp and seeds found annonaceous acetogenins including annonacin, annonisin and bullatacin concentrated overwhelmingly in the seeds, with only trace amounts in the pulp. Scoop the flesh, spit every seed out whole, and never blend an atemoya.
Sensitivities
How Atemoya scores
Watch for
What trips people up
- Its FODMAP grades are unrated, not low. Both parent species are graded high, so the safe assumption for a sensitive gut is that atemoya behaves like a sugary tropical fruit until your own log tells you otherwise
- Never put atemoya through a blender, juicer or food processor. The seeds hold the acetogenins and blending is exactly what converts a seed you would have spat out into a real exposure
- The seeds are hard, black and not edible at any ripeness. Swallowing one whole and intact by accident is a different matter from chewing or crushing one, but the rule is to spit them out
- If cherimoya or sugar apple has upset you before, atemoya is not a safer substitute for either. It is literally the hybrid of the two, and the same sugar and polyol load is the likeliest reason any of the three bothers you
- Ripeness is judged by give rather than colour. Atemoya softens after picking and turns from firm and flavourless to sweet and creamy over a few days, then quickly goes past it into a fermented sourness that is worth avoiding on an amine sensitive diet
Diet fit
Where it fits
Swap ideas
More alternatives
FAQ
Common questions about Atemoya
Is atemoya low FODMAP?
Nobody has established that it is. Atemoya sits unrated for total FODMAPs, excess fructose and polyols, which means untested rather than cleared. The informative comparison is with its parents: cherimoya grades E for FODMAPs and polyols and D for excess fructose, and sugar apple grades D, D and C. Atemoya is the hybrid of those two and is comparably sweet and custardy, so the cautious reading is to treat it as a moderate to high FODMAP fruit, try a few spoonfuls rather than a whole one, and let your own diary settle the question.
Can you eat atemoya seeds?
No. Atemoya seeds are large, black and inedible, and a published analysis of atemoya leaves, pulp and seeds found the acetogenins annonacin, annonisin and bullatacin concentrated in the seeds with far lower levels in the flesh. Those compounds are the reason the whole Annona genus comes with a seed warning. Eat it the way you would a cherimoya: halve it, spoon out the white flesh, and discard every seed intact. Do not crush them, do not chew them, and keep them out of smoothies.
What is the difference between atemoya, cherimoya and sugar apple?
Sugar apple and cherimoya are two separate species, and atemoya is the hybrid bred from them. In the hand, sugar apple pulls apart into knobbly segments each holding one seed, cherimoya has smooth scaled skin over dense custardy flesh, and atemoya sits in between with a lumpier skin than cherimoya and firmer, less segmented flesh than sugar apple. On our data the parents are both graded high for FODMAPs while atemoya is simply unrated, which is a gap in the testing rather than evidence that the hybrid is gentler.
Is atemoya high in histamine or salicylates?
No. Atemoya grades A for histamine content, A as a histamine liberator, A for tyramine and A for salicylates, so it does not belong on a suspect list for amine or salicylate reactions. It is also A for gluten, lactose, dairy protein, free glutamates, sulfites and nightshades. If atemoya disagrees with you, look at the sugar and likely polyol load rather than at a chemical trigger, and note that overripe atemoya edging into fermentation is a separate issue from the fresh fruit.
References
Read the background
Ratings reflect the Triggerbites ingredient database and may vary with portion size and preparation.