Fruits
Feijoa in gelato
Feijoa (Acca sellowiana, also called pineapple guava) is an aromatic subtropical fruit with a green, granular, sweet-tart pulp reminiscent of pineapple, guava and mint. In gelato it works as an aromatic, sucrose-dominant fruit puree for sorbetto and fruit gelato, contributing modest sweetening power and moderate freezing-point depression.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 16.7% |
| Water | 83.3% |
| Sugars | 8.2% |
| Fat | 0.4% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 0.7% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 9.6 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 12.9 |
Typical use: 25-40% as pulp/puree in a fruit sorbetto; 15-25% as a flavor puree in a dairy fruit gelato.
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Feijoa carries roughly 17% total solids and about 8% sugars per 100 g, so as a puree it adds limited sweetness (POD near 9.6) and moderate anti-freezing power (PAC near 12.9), behaving like a mild-to-average fruit: expect to add sucrose plus dextrose or invert to reach target sweetness and hardness. Its pectin and fiber lend natural body, useful in water-based sorbetto. The pulp browns very quickly from polyphenol oxidase, so blend fast and protect with a little lemon juice. The delicate pineapple-guava esters are volatile, so fold the puree in cold or late and avoid boiling it.
Origin & background
Feijoa is native to the cool highlands of southern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and northern Argentina. The genus was described by German botanist Otto Karl Berg, who named it Feijoa (now Acca) after Portuguese naturalist Joao da Silva Feijo. It was introduced to Europe by horticulturist Edouard Andre around 1890 and later became a signature crop of New Zealand, today a leading commercial producer.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central / Standard Reference, Feijoa raw (FDC 168176) — via https://www.nutritionvalue.org/Feijoa%2C_raw_nutritional_value.html (water 83.3 g, protein 0.71 g, fat 0.42 g, carb 15.2 g, total sugars 8.2 g, fiber 6.4 g per 100 g)
- Weston R.J. et al., 'Nutritional Characteristics and Antimicrobial Activity of Australian Grown Feijoa (Acca sellowiana)', PMC6770449 — https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6770449/ (pulp FW: protein 0.73 g, fat 0.43 g, moisture 80.3%, TSS 13.9 Brix; sugars sucrose ~5.7 g, glucose ~2.7 g, fructose ~2.3 g per 100 g; sucrose ~50% of total sugars)
- USDA-derived sugar breakdown, Feijoa raw — https://vegnt.com/foods/feijoa_raw.html (fructose 2.95 g, glucose 2.32 g, sucrose 2.93 g per 100 g, summing to total sugars 8.2 g)