Soursop fruit is safe to eat raw when it is ripe. You can judge ripeness when the fruit is slightly soft to the touch (see video below). When it is unripe, it may taste sour. However it is no dangerous to consume in that state.
To eat the fruit, you should cut it in half and scoop out the yellow custardy flesh. Then discard the seeds, as these can be toxic. The look like large black watermelon seeds and are hard to miss.
Over consumption of soursop products can lead to complications.
Depending on the size of the fruit, you can scoop out the pulp from the skin and store it in the refrigerator, where it will last 2-3 days. It is safe to freeze the pulp for later use. Frozen soursop pulp can be preserved for months in this manner.
People can also add soursop to smoothies.
Some sellers will often call soursop under the name graviola. Spanish speaking people often refer to soursop using the word guanabana.
It is commonly available in the following forms:
- Fresh fruit (in the U.S. the fresh supply only comes from Grenada.)
- Packaged soursop soursop fruit pulp
- Tincture extract from leaves and fruit
- Powdered soursop leaf
- Soursop bitters
- Soursop capsules and tablets
- Soursop dried whole leaves
- Soursop leaf tea bags
- Soursop fruit powder
- Freeze dried soursop fruit
Average online prices for these products range from $10–30, though imported fresh fruit can be more expensive.