Muscadine grapes are used in wines, jams, jellies, and juices, and the fruit also offers a pleasing taste when eaten directly from the vine. But, can you eat muscadine seeds?
Yes, the entire muscadine fruit is edible. Some people eat the whole grape, including skins, seeds, and pulp. Others squeeze the skin and pop the tasty pulp into their mouth, and discard the skin. You’ll also find people that spit the muscadine seeds out and only eat the pulp.
Keep reading to learn more about eating muscadine seeds and their benefits.
Are muscadine seeds safe to eat?
Muscadine seeds are small, crunchy, pear-shaped seeds found in the middle of muscadine grapes. Muscadine grapes may have one or several seeds inside.
Some people find that muscadine seeds have a bitter flavor. While they aren’t the tastiest, they’re harmless for people to eat. If you don’t want to spit muscadine seeds out, it’s safe to chew and swallow them.
Ground-up muscadine seeds used to make grape seed oil and grape seed extract have become popular health foods.
However, some people may want to avoid eating grape seeds. Some research suggests that muscadine seed extract has blood-thinning properties, which could be harmful to people with bleeding disorders.
Still, most people wouldn’t be at high risk simply by eating a reasonable amount of muscadine seeds. To be safe, connect with your medical provider to discuss potential risks.
Best Ways to Eat Muscadine Seeds
The best way to eat them is to plop the muscadine in your mouth and chew the seeds after you’ve enjoyed the juicy pulp. This is better for picnics than for dinner parties. You can seed muscadines with a knife and serve them in salads for use in recipes.
Alternatively, you can swallow the muscadine pulp and seeds together. Eat the skins, seeds and pulp, and juice for the best nutritional benefit.
About Muscadine Seeds
Found in the southeastern United States, Muscadine grapes are considered “The Smarter Grape” because they contain two more chromosomes than other grapes. This enables a huge range of health benefits. Muscadine grape seeds contain over 100 powerful phenolic compounds to help support healthy hearts, brain function, cell function, sexual function, joints, and blood sugar. They also address various issues like headaches, fatigue, anti-aging, menopause, and more.
Muscadine grape seeds have up to 10-times the antioxidant value of other fruits such as blueberries and cranberries. Compared to other grape seeds, muscadine grape seeds have 40-times the antioxidants. Additionally, muscadine grapes offer a good combination of phytochemicals and phenolic compounds not found in other grapes, fruits, or vegetables.
Muscadine Seeds Nutrition
The seeds of muscadine grapes are rich in numerous minerals, but their most potent nutrients are antioxidants like OPCs.
- Vitamin E
- Linolenic acid
- Oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes
- Other phenolic compounds
- Potassium
- Copper
- Phosphorus
- Calcium
- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Iron
Nutrients per Serving
In their natural form, the seeds of muscadine grapes contain fiber, minerals, water, protein, and oil. By weight, these grape seeds have approximately:
- 35 percent fiber
- 7 percent water
- 3 percent minerals
- 11 percent protein
- 20 percent oils
Health Benefits of Eating Muscadine Seeds
Here are some common health benefits of grape seeds:
Improves Heart Health
Antioxidants in grape seeds help you maintain healthy blood pressure and improve your blood circulation. They help to strengthen your blood vessels and improve flow, especially the vessels experiencing venous insufficiency or varicose veins.
Supports Brain Health
The phenolic compounds in grape seeds help to improve memory and overall brain health. They’re also useful for blocking the development of proteins that lead to Alzheimer’s disease dementia.
Real Questions: Eating Muscadine Seeds
What happens if you eat too many muscadine seeds?
If you eat too many muscadine seeds, they’re unlikely to cause harm to your health. Muscadine seeds contain several compounds that offer health benefits, such as antioxidants, flavonoids, and melatonin. They also make products like grape seed extract and grape seed oil, which are used as healthy supplements.
Are muscadine seeds heart healthy?
The antioxidants in wine can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other harmful conditions that may lead to heart disease.
How long does it take for muscadines to produce?
Muscadine grapes are native to warm, humid climates of the southern U.S. In an ideal climate, muscadines can yield grapes two to three years.
Do muscadine seeds have antioxidants?
Muscadine grapes are more potent in antioxidants than any other grape variety, and laboratories suggest that muscadine seeds have higher antioxidant capacity than muscadine skins.
Do eating muscadine seeds give me the same benefits as grape seed extract?
Muscadine seeds can be a healthy snack, but the concentration of the antioxidants will be much higher in the extract than it will be when you consume a single serving of seeds.
How can I use muscadine seed extract?
There is no standard dose for muscadine seed extract, but some doctors in European countries have historically prescribed 100 to 200 mg per day. You should take muscadine seed extract according to the instructions on the label, keeping in mind that products aren’t made to equal qualities or concentrations.
Ask your doc what the best dosage is for you, based on your weight, age, and any medical condition you might have.
Is muscadine seed extract popular in China?
People in China and some other eastern Asian countries use grape seed extract for various reasons, such as cardiovascular health, arthritis, cancer, and other chronic inflammatory disorders.
