From the Kentucky
State University Cooperative Extension Program
by Snake C. Jones and Desmond R. Layne
Pawpaw
Description and Nutritional Information
From The KYSU
Extension Bulletin, "Cooking with Pawpaws"
DESCRIPTION
The
pawpaw is the largest edible fruit that is native to the United States.
Pawpaws are indigenous to 26 states in the U.S., in a range extending
from northern Florida to southern Ontario and as far west as eastern
Nebraska. They have provided delicious and nutritious food for Native
Americans, European explorers and settlers, and wild animals. They are
still being enjoyed in modern America, chiefly in rural areas. There
are 27 varieties (Table 1) currently available from more than 50
commercial nurseries in the U.S.
Most enthusiasts agree that the
best way to enjoy pawpaws is to eat them raw, outdoors, picked from the
tree when they are perfectly ripe. But there are also numerous ways to
use them in the kitchen and extend the enjoyment of their tropical
flavor beyond the end of the harvest season.
The unique flavor
of the fruit resembles a blend of various tropical flavors, including
banana, pineapple, and mango. The flavor and custard-like texture make
pawpaws a good substitute for bananas in almost any recipe. The common
names, ‘poor man’s banana,’
‘American custard
apple,’ and ‘Kentucky banana’ reflect
these qualities.
Pawpaw’s
beautiful, maroon colored flowers appear in the spring, and the
clusters of fruit ripen in the fall. The Kentucky harvest season is
from late August to mid-October. Ripe pawpaw fruits are easily picked,
yielding to a gentle tug. Shaking the tree will make them fall off. (If
you try this, don’t stand under the fruit clusters, and
don’t say we didn’t warn you.)
Ripeness can
also be gauged by squeezing gently, as you would judge a peach. The
flesh should be soft, and the fruit should have a strong, pleasant
aroma. The skin color of ripe fruit on the tree ranges from green to
yellow, and dark flecks may appear, as on bananas. The skin of picked
or fallen fruit may darken to brown or black.
Fully ripe pawpaws
last only a few days at room temperature, but may be kept for a week in
the refrigerator. If fruit is refrigerated before it is fully ripe, it
can be kept for up to three weeks, and can then be allowed to finish
ripening at room temperature. Ripe pawpaw flesh, with skin and seeds
removed, can be pureed and frozen for later use. Some people even
freeze whole fruits.
Pawpaws are very nutritious fruits. They
are high in vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper, and manganese. They are
a good source of potassium and several essential amino acids, and they
also contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, calcium,
phosphorus, and zinc. Pawpaws contain these nutrients in amounts that
are generally about the same as or greater than those found in bananas,
apples, or oranges.
NUTRITIONAL
INFORMATION
Composition
In
comparison with banana, apple, and orange, pawpaws have a higher
protein and fat content. Banana exceeds pawpaw in food energy and
carbohydrate content. There is little difference among these fruits in
dietary fiber content. Pawpaw is most similar to banana in overall
composition. Apple is especially low in protein, orange is low in fat,
and both are lower than pawpaw or banana in food energy. See Table 2
and Table 3 for details.
Vitamins
Pawpaw
has three times as much vitamin C as apple, twice as much as banana,
and one third as much as orange. Pawpaw has six times as much
riboflavin as apple, and twice as much as orange. Niacin content of
pawpaw is twice as high as banana, fourteen times as high as apple, and
four times as high as orange. See Table 2 and Table 3 for details.
Minerals
Pawpaw
and banana are both high in potassium, having about twice as much as
orange and three times as much as apple. Pawpaw has one and a half
times as much calcium as orange, and about ten times as much as banana
or apple. Pawpaw has two to seven times as much phosphorus, four to
twenty times as much magnesium, twenty to seventy times as much iron,
five to twenty times as much zinc, five to twelve times as much copper,
and sixteen to one hundred times as much manganese, as do banana,
apple, or orange. See Table 2 and Table 3 for details. Sodium content
has not yet been determined.
Amino acids
The
protein in pawpaw contains all of the essential amino acids. Pawpaw
exceeds apple in all of the essential amino acids, and it exceeds or
equals banana and orange in most of them. See Table 2 and Table 3 for
details.
Fats
The
profile of fatty acids in pawpaw is preferable to that in banana.
Pawpaw has 32% saturated, 40% monounsaturated, and 28% polyunsaturated
fatty acids. Banana has 52% saturated, 15% monounsaturated, and 34%
polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Table 1.
Commercially
Available Named Pawpaw Cultivars in the United States a
| Cultivar |
Origin |
Type |
Selector, Year |
| Davis |
Illinois |
Chance
seedling |
Corwin
Davis, 1959 |
| Ford
Amend |
Unknown |
Chance
seedling |
Ford
Amend, 1950 |
| G-2 |
Unknown |
G.A.
Zimmerman seed |
John
W. McKay, 1942 |
| Glaser |
Indiana |
Chance
seedling |
P.
Glaser, date unknown |
| Kirsten |
Pennsylvania |
Hybrid
of Taytwo and Overleese |
Tom
Mansell, date unknown |
| Little
Rosie |
Indiana |
Chance
seedling |
P.
Glaser, date unknown |
| M-1 |
Unknown |
Seedling
from G-2 |
John
W. McKay, 1948 |
| Mango |
Georgia |
Chance
seedling |
Major
C. Collins, 1970 |
| Mary
Foos Johnson |
Kansas |
Chance
seedling |
Milo
Gibson, date unknown |
| Mason/WLW |
Ohio |
Chance
seedling |
Ernest
J. Downing, 1938 |
| Middletown |
Ohio |
Chance
seedling |
Ernest
J. Downing, 1915 |
| Mitchell |
Illinois |
Chance
seedling |
Joseph
W. Hickman, 1979 |
| NC-1 |
Ontario |
Hybrid
of Davis and Overleese |
R.
Douglas Campbell, 1976 |
| Overleese |
Indiana |
Chance
seedling |
W.B.
Ward, 1950 |
| PA-Golden |
Unknown |
George
Slate seed |
John
Gordon, date unknown |
| Prolific |
Michigan |
Chance
seedling |
Corwin
Davis, 1980 |
| Rebecca's
Gold |
Unknown |
Corwin
Davis seed |
J.M.
Riley, 1974 |
| SAA-Overleese |
New
York |
Overleese
seed |
John
Gordon, 1982 |
| SAA-Zimmerman |
New
York |
G.A.
Zimmerman seed |
John
Gordon, 1982 |
| Silver
Creek |
Illinois |
Chance
seedling |
K.
Schubert, date unknown |
| Sunflower
b |
Kansas |
Chance
seedling |
Milo
Gibson, 1970 |
| Sweet
Alice |
West
Virginia |
Chance
seedling |
Homer
Jacobs, 1934 |
| Taylor |
Michigan |
Chance
seedling |
Corwin
Davis, 1968 |
| Taytwo |
Michigan |
Chance
seedling |
Corwin
Davis, 1968 |
| Wells |
Indiana |
Chance
seedling |
David
K. Wells, 1990 |
| Wilson |
Kentucky |
Chance
seedling |
John
V. Creech, 1985 |
| Zimmerman |
Unknown |
G.A.
Zimmerman seed |
George
Slate, date unknown |
a.
More than 50 commercial nurseries market pawpaw seeds or trees in the
U.S. For persons interested in high quality fruit production, we
recommend purchasing container-grown trees grafted to a named cultivar.
Two or more unrelated trees should be planted to ensure adequate
cross-pollination. Regional adaptability will vary for each cultivar.
Return to Table 1
b. Some persons have
reported this cultivar to be self-fruitful. Return to Sunflower
Table
2. Nutritional
Comparison of Pawpaw with Other Fruits a
|
Units |
Pawpaw |
Banana |
Apple |
Orange |
| Composition |
|
| Food
Energy |
Calories |
80 |
92 |
59 |
47 |
| Protein |
grams |
1.2 |
1.03 |
0.19 |
0.94 |
| Total
Fat |
grams |
1.2 |
0.48 |
0.36 |
0.12 |
| Carbohydrate |
grams |
18.8 |
23.4 |
15.25 |
11.75 |
| Dietary
Fiber |
grams |
2.6 |
2.4 |
2.7 |
2.4 |
| Vitamins |
|
| Vitamin
A |
RE
b |
8.6 |
8 |
5 |
21 |
| Vitamin
A |
IU
c |
87 |
81 |
53 |
205 |
| Vitamin
C |
milligrams |
18.3 |
9.1 |
5.7 |
53.2 |
| Vitamin
A |
milligrams |
0.01 |
0.045 |
0.017 |
0.087 |
| Riboflavin |
milligrams |
0.09 |
0.1 |
0.014 |
0.04 |
| Niacin |
milligrams |
1.1 |
0.54 |
0.077 |
0.282 |
| Minerals |
|
| Potassium |
milligrams |
345 |
396 |
115 |
181 |
| Calcium |
milligrams |
63 |
6 |
7 |
40 |
| Phosphorus |
milligrams |
47 |
20 |
7 |
14 |
| Magnesium |
milligrams |
113 |
29 |
5 |
10 |
| Iron |
milligrams |
7 |
0.31 |
0.18 |
0.1 |
| Zinc |
milligrams |
0.9 |
0.16 |
0.04 |
0.07 |
| Copper |
milligrams |
0.5 |
0.104 |
0.041 |
0.045 |
| Manganese |
milligrams |
2.6 |
0.152 |
0.045 |
0.025 |
| Essential
amino acids |
|
| Histidine |
milligrams |
21 |
81 |
3 |
18 |
| Isoleucine |
milligrams |
70 |
33 |
8 |
25 |
| Leucine |
milligrams |
81 |
71 |
12 |
23 |
| Lysine |
milligrams |
60 |
48 |
12 |
47 |
| Methionine |
milligrams |
15 |
11 |
2 |
20 |
| Cystine |
milligrams |
4 |
17 |
3 |
10 |
| Phenylalanine |
milligrams |
51 |
38 |
5 |
31 |
| Tyrosine |
milligrams |
25 |
24 |
4 |
16 |
| Threonine |
milligrams |
46 |
34 |
7 |
15 |
| Tryptophan |
milligrams |
9 |
12 |
2 |
9 |
| Valine |
milligrams |
58 |
47 |
9 |
40 |
a.
Mean value per 100 grams edible portion. Pawpaw analysis was done on
pulp with skin, although the skin is not considered edible. Probably
much of the dietary fiber, and possibly some of the fat, would be
thrown away with the skin. Number in bold face represents the highest
value for each component. Return to Table
2
b.
Retinol Equivalents - these units are used in the most recent National
Research Council Recommended Dietary Allowances table (1989). Return to
Vitamins
c. International
Units - these units are still seen on many labels. Return to Vitamins
Table 3. Portion
of Daily Needs Provided by Pawpaw in Comparison with Other Fruits
a
|
Pawpaw
|
Banana
|
Apple
|
Orange
|
| Composition |
|
| Food Energy b |
4.0
|
4.6
|
3.0
|
2.4
|
| Protein b |
2.4
|
2.1
|
0.4
|
1.9
|
| Total Fat b |
1.8
|
0.7
|
0.6
|
0.2
|
| Carbohydrate b |
6.3
|
7.8
|
5.1
|
3.9
|
| Dietary Fiber b |
10.4
|
9.6
|
10.8
|
9.6
|
| Vitamins |
|
| Vitamin A c |
1.0
|
0.9
|
0.6
|
2.3
|
| Vitamin C c |
30.5
|
15.2
|
9.5
|
88.7
|
| Thiamin c |
0.8
|
3.5
|
1.3
|
6.7
|
| Riboflavin c |
6.0
|
6.7
|
0.9
|
2.7
|
| Niacin c |
6.5
|
3.2
|
0.5
|
1.7
|
| Minerals |
|
| Potassium b |
9.9
|
11.3
|
3.3
|
5.2
|
| Calcium c |
7.9
|
0.8
|
0.9
|
5.0
|
| Phosphorus c |
5.9
|
2.5
|
0.9
|
1.8
|
| Magnesium c |
35.9
|
9.2
|
1.6
|
3.2
|
| Iron c |
56
|
2.5
|
1.4
|
0.8
|
| Zinc c |
6.7
|
1.2
|
0.3
|
0.5
|
| Copper d |
22.2
|
4.6
|
1.8
|
2.0
|
| Manganese d |
74.3
|
4.3
|
1.3
|
0.7
|
| Essential
amino acids |
|
| Histidine e |
3.5
|
13.5
|
0.5
|
3.0
|
| Isoleucine e |
11.6
|
5.5
|
1.3
|
4.2
|
| Leucine e |
9.6
|
8.5
|
1.4
|
2.7
|
| Lysine e |
8.4
|
6.7
|
1.7
|
6.5
|
| Methionine |
|
| plus Cystine e |
2.4
|
3.6
|
0.6
|
3.8
|
| Phenylalanine |
|
| plus Tyrosine e |
9
|
7.4
|
1.1
|
5.6
|
| Threonine e |
10.8
|
8.1
|
1.7
|
3.6
|
| Tryptophan e |
4.3
|
5.7
|
1.0
|
4.3
|
| Valine e |
9.7
|
7.8
|
1.5
|
6.7
|
a.
Percentage of daily nutritional need per 100 gram serving. Number in
bold face represents highest value for each component. Return to Table 3
b. Percentage of
Daily Reference Value, based on a diet of 2,000 Calories a day for
adults. Return to Composition
c. Percentage of the
1989 NAS-NRC Recommended Dietary Allowance, average value for women and
men ages 25-50. Return to Vitamins
| Return to Minerals
d. Percentage of the
Estimated Safe and Adequate Daily Dietary Intake, average value for
adults. Return to Minerals
e. Percentage of the
estimated amino acid requirement for a 60 kg (130 lb) adult. Return to Amino Acids
Bibliography
National
Research Council Food and Nutrition Board, 1989. Recommended Dietary
Allowances, 10th edition. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.
Kurtzweil, Paula, 1991. ‘Daily
Values’ Encourage Healthy Diet.
http://www.fda.gov//bbs/topics/CONSUMER/CON00225.html
Peterson, R. Neal, John P. Cherry, and Joseph
G. Simmons, 1982. Composition of Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
Fruit. Ann. Rpt. N. Nut Growers Assoc. 77:97-106.
Full USDA Nutrient Database listings.
http://www.fatfree.com/usda/all.shtml
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