When do eggfruit generally ripen, in which month?

Eggfruit is a perennial plant of the genus Pouteria in the family Sapotaceae, also known as egg fruit, peach plum, and sapodilla plum. The fruit is spherical, green when unripe, and yellow-green to orange-yellow when ripe. The flesh is orange-yellow, rich in starch, with a texture like egg yolk and a fragrant aroma, low water content, and a slightly sweet taste. The flavor and texture fall somewhere between sweet potato and durian. Let us take a look below at when eggfruit ripens!

When does eggfruit ripen?

Eggfruit ripens in December, and after harvest it needs 4 to 7 days of after-ripening before it can be eaten. The eggfruit is obovoid, about 8 cm long, turning from green to egg-yellow, hairless, with a very thin exocarp and a fleshy, thick mesocarp that is egg-yellow, edible, and tastes like egg yolk, hence the name eggfruit. There are 2 to 4 seeds, elliptical, flattened, 4 to 5 cm long, yellow-brown, glossy, with the scar lateral, oblong, nearly as long as the seed. The flowering period is in spring, and the fruiting period is in autumn.

Growth habits of eggfruit

Eggfruit prefers a warm and humid climate, with an average annual temperature of 24 to 27.5°C being suitable. It can tolerate short periods of high temperature and cold, and plants will not be harmed by short exposures to 40°C or 1 to 2°C. During the flowering period, rainy weather and high temperatures cause severe flower drop, and low temperatures are avoided during the fruit ripening period; low temperatures in winter make the fruit hard. It is quite drought-tolerant and highly adaptable to soil, growing best in sandy loam.

Origin and distribution of eggfruit

Eggfruit is native to Cuba and tropical North America, and is mainly distributed in Central and South America, northeastern India, northern Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and southern China. It was introduced to China in the 1930s, and cultivation began in Guangzhou in the 1950s. In China, it is sporadically planted in tropical and south subtropical regions such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, and Fujian.

Nutritional value of eggfruit

Eggfruit is a tropical fruit. The flesh contains 29.1 to 30.5% sugar, 5.6 to 8.1% starch, and 1 to 1.14% crude fat, and every 100 grams of flesh contains 24.3 mg of vitamin C. Besides being eaten raw, the fruit can be made into jam, ice cream, beverages, or fruit wine. It is rich in nutrients such as phosphorus, iron, calcium, vitamin C, and carotenoids, as well as the seventeen amino acids essential to the human body, and has effects such as aiding digestion, resolving phlegm, tonifying the kidneys, refreshing the mind, invigorating the blood and strengthening the body, calming and relieving pain, and reducing stress and lowering lipids.