Cucumis metuliferus
1 association assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.
A spiked orange gourd from southern Africa whose interior is a lime-green, seed-filled jelly. Mild and cucumber-like in flavour, it is sold largely as a novelty in Europe and North America.
Also known as Horned melon, African horned cucumber, Jelly melon
What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.
Kiwano has essentially no human research literature. What exists is compositional analysis and a little in vitro work, none of which supports a statement about health.
Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.
AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.
| Nutrient | Amount | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Macronutrients | ||
| Calories | 44 kcal | 2% |
| Protein | 1.78 g | 4% |
| Total fat | 1.26 g | 2% |
| Carbohydrate | 7.56 g | 3% |
| Water | 89 g | — |
| Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin A | 7 µg | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 5.3 mg | 6% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.025 mg | 2% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.015 mg | 1% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.565 mg | 4% |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.183 mg | 4% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.063 mg | 4% |
| Folate | 3 µg | 1% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 13 mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1.13 mg | 6% |
| Magnesium | 40 mg | 10% |
| Phosphorus | 37 mg | 3% |
| Potassium | 123 mg | 3% |
| Sodium | 2 mg | 0% |
| Zinc | 0.48 mg | 4% |
| Copper | 0.02 mg | 2% |
| Manganese | 0.039 mg | 2% |
| Other measured compounds | ||
| Beta-carotene | 88 µg | — |
| Ash | 0.44 g | — |
Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
Source record: Horned melon (Kiwano) (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 167791).
% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.
Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
Carotenoid
A provitamin A carotenoid the body converts to retinol as needed. High-dose supplements have shown harm in smokers, unlike dietary intake.
Polyphenol (class)
An umbrella term for thousands of plant phenolic compounds. Useful as a category, but a "high polyphenol" figure says nothing about which compounds…
Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.
Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.
Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.
Worth knowing
Only the inner jelly is food. The spiny skin is tough and can scratch, and the fruit is normally halved and spooned out rather than peeled.
Allergy
Kiwano is a Cucumis, the same genus as cucumber and melon. People with ragweed-associated melon oral allergy syndrome have grounds to try it cautiously.