Jambu (Java Plum / Jamun) Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Fresh jamun (java plum) provides only 60 kcal per 100g — lower than most common fruits: banana (89), mango (60, tied), grape (69), apple (52 is lower), and custard apple (94). With 83% water content, jamun ranks among the most hydrating fruits, approaching watermelon (91%) and musk melon (90%) territory ^[1].

A cup of jamun (~135g, roughly 27 fruits) has just 81 kcal and 21g carbohydrates. Ten jamun (~50g) = 30 kcal. A single jamun (~5g) has approximately 3 kcal. The fruit's small size and rapid eating pace mean that 200-300g (120-180 kcal) can be consumed in one sitting during the brief May-July season.

Jamun's carbohydrate profile is 15.6g per 100g, composed primarily of glucose and fructose with virtually no sucrose — similar to grape's sugar profile. The estimated sugar content is approximately 9g per 100g, with the remainder being starch and other non-sugar carbohydrates that give unripe jamun its notable astringency.

Jamun's defining characteristic is its intense purple-black color from anthocyanins — water-soluble pigments concentrated in the skin and outer pulp. Published analyses report 29.7-47.7mg total anthocyanins per 100g of pulp, with delphinidin-3,5-diglucoside and petunidin-3,5-diglucoside as dominant forms ^[2][3].

These anthocyanins are not captured in USDA or standard nutrition databases — they don't appear on nutrition labels or in most food tracking apps. The staining effect (which turns tongue and hands purple) is actually a visible indicator of the anthocyanin concentration. Darker, fully ripe fruits have higher concentrations than lighter-colored or unripe specimens.

For food journaling, jamun's anthocyanin content exceeds blueberry (25-50mg/100g depending on variety), making it one of the richest readily available anthocyanin sources during the Indian summer. The astringent taste of jamun (unlike sweet blueberry) comes from tannins and gallic acid, not from the anthocyanins themselves.

USDA reports 14.3mg vitamin C per 100g for java plum — about 16% of the daily value. Indian food composition sources (NIN/Gopalan) report 18mg, a minor difference likely due to varietal and growing-condition variation. One cup of jamun (135g) delivers 19.3mg vitamin C — roughly equivalent to one-third of an orange ^[1].

A significant data discrepancy exists for iron: USDA reports 0.19mg/100g while Indian sources (NIN, Gopalan et al.) report 1.0-1.2mg/100g — a 5-6x difference. This likely reflects genuine varietal and soil differences between the Australian/Hawaiian specimens in USDA versus Indian-grown jamun, where iron-rich soils in tropical regions significantly affect fruit mineral content.

For food journaling, the USDA value (0.19mg) represents a conservative baseline, while the NIN value (1.0-1.2mg) represents Indian-grown fruit. If you are consuming Indian-origin jamun, the iron contribution may be meaningfully higher. This calculator uses USDA values as the primary source with the discrepancy noted.

Jamun has one of the narrowest harvest windows of any commercially available fruit — approximately 6 weeks from late May to mid-July in most of India. Unlike mango (3-4 months) or banana (year-round), jamun availability is extremely concentrated, making it a seasonal-tracking item in food journals ^[2].

The fruit does not ripen after picking and has a very short shelf life (2-3 days at room temperature, 5-7 days refrigerated). There is virtually no dried, canned, or frozen jamun market — the fruit must be consumed fresh within the season. This perishability makes jamun unique among commonly tracked fruits.

For food journaling, jamun intake is essentially limited to June-July for most people. During peak season, consumption of 200-500g per day is common in South Asia (120-300 kcal). Outside the season, jamun contributes zero to dietary intake — a binary on/off pattern unlike most fruits.

Jamun's individual micronutrient numbers are modest: 0.9g fiber (3% DV per 100g), 79mg potassium (2% DV), 19mg calcium (1% DV), and 15mg magnesium (4% DV). By themselves, these are not standout values — grapes have similar fiber (0.9g), and most fruits far exceed jamun's potassium ^[1].

However, seasonal consumption patterns change the picture. At 300g per day (common during peak season), jamun delivers: 180 kcal, 2.7g fiber, 237mg potassium, 42.9mg vitamin C, and 57mg calcium — becoming a meaningful contributor to daily nutrient intake during the 6-week window.

The fruit's seed constitutes approximately 20-30% of total weight and is not eaten fresh (though dried jamun seed powder is used as a condiment). When tracking portions, remember that 100g of whole jamun with seeds yields roughly 70-80g of edible pulp. This calculator uses edible portion values.