Lucuma: 'Inca gold' vs science (and content generators)

Lucuma has all the hallmarks of the perfect superfood: an Andean fruit with an exotic name, a legendary nickname ('Inca gold'), a caramel-coloured powder to sprinkle on your porridge, and a seductive promise — to sweeten without spiking blood sugar. On the internet, the benefits pile up: anti-diabetes, heart, immunity, skin, brain.

We looked at what holds up. Spoiler: not much, but that is no reason to throw out the jar.

A very real fruit, a highly marketed powder

Lucuma (Pouteria lucuma, also called Lucuma obovata) is a tree from the Andean valleys of Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia, cultivated for centuries. Its fruit has a dry, mealy, yellow-orange flesh with a taste of caramel and sweet potato. It does not travel well: in Europe, it is found almost exclusively in powder form, either dried or freeze-dried.

What this powder contains is fairly well documented. A recent analysis of Bolivian fruit highlights mainly carbohydrates (around 42% of the analysed fruit), a little protein and fibre, and notable amounts of polyphenols, flavonoids and carotenoids — the latter giving the flesh its colour (Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 2025). Nothing extraordinary for a fruit, but a respectable profile.

What science says: mostly test tubes

The entire 'blood sugar' promise rests on a handful of in vitro studies. In the laboratory, pulp extracts inhibit alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase, two enzymes that break down carbohydrates into absorbable sugars (Pinto et al., 2009; Fuentealba et al., 2016). Other cell-based studies suggest antioxidant activity or inhibition of the angiotensin-converting enzyme, which is linked to blood pressure.

This is interesting. But a concentrated extract in a test tube is not a spoonful of powder in a yoghurt. In between lie digestion, absorption, dosages — and, above all, human trials, which are still lacking.

Two nuances rarely mentioned:

The powder remains mostly carbohydrate. The German consumer organisation (Verbraucherzentrale, 2025) notes that freeze-dried powder contains mostly sugar.
It is not very sweet. To replace sugar in baking, you need much more of it — along with the corresponding calories.

What is made up: a textbook case

While preparing this article, we came across 'doctor's review' pages that were clearly mass-generated. They cite a glycaemic index of 'around 30', recipes, and a serious-looking bibliography, including a study on the effect of lucuma flour on the blood sugar and insulin of healthy adults, with about ten authors.

We could not find this study anywhere: neither in scientific databases nor cited elsewhere, and the page provides no journal, year, or DOI. It is impossible to verify — and an unverifiable study proves nothing.

Lucuma is not an isolated case, but it is exemplary: a niche subject, few real studies, high commercial demand. The perfect ground for filling the void with fabricated content.

And regulations?

In Europe, the fruit pulp can be sold as food. On the other hand, according to the European Union's 'Novel Food' catalogue (an indicative tool, not a legal text), other parts of the plant — seed, leaves — are considered novel foods and have not received any authorisation to date (Verbraucherzentrale, 2025). In other words: be wary of oil extracted from the seeds, often sold as 'lucuma nut oil', when offered as a food supplement.

So, should you buy it?

If you like its caramel taste in a smoothie or ice cream: why not. It is a pleasant, plant-based ingredient with a bit of fibre and antioxidants.

But if you are buying it to control your blood sugar or replace a treatment: no. Nothing proves this in humans. And the powder provides carbohydrates: in cases of diabetes, it counts just like any other sugar and does not change the treatment. The same nutrients can be found in local fruits, berries, and colourful vegetables — for much less money.

In summary:

Proven: composition dominated by carbohydrates, with polyphenols and carotenoids.
Plausible but unproven: moderating effect on sugar absorption (in vitro only).
False or made up: 'glycaemic index of 30', 'suitable for diabetics', clinical studies cited without a verifiable source.

And for curious gardeners: can you grow a lucuma tree in Belgium? Find out on fleurs.be.

Sources

Fuentealba, C., Gálvez, L., Cobos, A., Olaeta, J. A., Defilippi, B. G., 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. Food Chemistry, 190, 403–411.

Pinto, M. da S., Ranilla, L. G., Apostolidis, E., Lajolo, F. M., Genovese, M. I., & Shetty, K. (2009). Evaluation of antihyperglycemia and antihypertension potential of native Peruvian fruits using in vitro models. Journal of Medicinal Food, 12(2), 278–291.

[AUTEURS À COMPLÉTER] (2025). A comprehensive analysis of the nutritional value, antioxidant potential and fatty acid composition of lucuma (Pouteria lucuma) fruit, grown in the high-altitude valleys of Bolivia. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 97(1), e20241017.

Verbraucherzentrale. (2025, 8 August). Lucuma: Was Sie über das „Gold der Inkas" wissen müssen. https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/lucuma