What are Black Grapes?

Grape is a pulpy, smooth-skinned berry grown in clusters on wines. It has a unique flavour that blends sweetness, sourness and sometimes a bit of tartness too. Grapes are available in many flavours and colours, including black, red, green and white.

The flavonoids in grapes give them a deep colour and enjoyable juiciness, while the tannin content leads to a great red wine.

How to Select Black Grapes

• Grapes are usually packed in bunches, and stored in soft cardboard boxes.

• Choose the red to dark black coloured grapes, as they are more nutritious compared to the white grape variety.

• Ensure that the grapes are fully ripe with minimal or no blemishes or skin ruptures.

• See to it that the grape bunches are well coloured with plump berries firmly attached to green pliable stems.

7 Uses of Black Grapes

1. Black grapes are best had fresh. They make for a perfect snack for any time of the day.

2. They can be used in different types of salads as well. The variety of salads these grapes can be added to is huge. It can range from a simple fruit salad like a Fruit Chaat to fancier ones with both fruits and veggies combined together with a dressing.

3. Grapes are very juicy and hence can be turned into a really nice fresh juice. The juice can only be of grapes or it can be combined with other different fruits like oranges.

For complete uses of Black grapes read this article.

How to Store Black Grapes

• Black Grapes can be refrigerated in sealed bags or frozen for long-term storage.

• Wash the grapes only at the time of serving.

• Its storage life is 30 to 180 days depending on the temperature of storage.

9 Health Benefits of Grapes

1. Loaded with antioxidants : Our body is under continuous stress and exposure to pollution. This leads to the accumulation of free radicals in the body. We need to get rid of them to stay healthy and disease free. ‘Antioxidants’ are the most effective way to achieve this target. They help in scavenging the harmful free radicals and reduce the oxidative stress in our body.

While green grapes abound in vitamin C as a source of antioxidant, the black variety also is rich in ‘anthocyanins’ that give them their colour. Both these antioxidants are present in highest amounts just beneath the skin. Thus it is advisable to wash the grapes thoroughly and enjoy them.

2. Beneficial for Heart : The flavonoid quercitin found in grapes helps to reduce the risk of heart diseases and prevents the onset of stroke. Resveratrol is another antioxidant that grapes possess, which helps to reduce oxidative stress and keeps the arteries and linings of the heart healthy. Additionally this antioxidant, especially from the black grapes, has also been known to decrease blood cholesterol levels.

3. Help Lower Blood Pressure : With not too high a sodium count to its credit coupled with good levels of potassium (5.7% per cup), grapes contain the necessary minerals to maintain blood pressure. Low intakes of potassium have often been linked to poor control of blood pressure and strokes.

Click here to know more about the 9 Health Benefits of Grapes.

Nutritive Information for Black Grapes:

1 Cup of black grapes is about 140 grams

RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.

Energy - 81 calories

Protein – 1 g

Carbohydrate – 18.5 g

Fat – 0.4 g

Fiber – 1.9 g

Vitamins:

25.6 mg of Vitamin C = 64% of RDA (about 40 mg)

298.2 mcg of Vitamin A = 6.2% of RDA (about 4800 mcg)

Minerals:

14.8 mg of Calcium = 1.5% of RDA (about 1000 mg)

114.8 mg of Magnesium = 32.5% of RDA (about 350 mg)

267.4 mg of Potassium = 5.7% of RDA (about 4700 mg)

42 mg of Phosphorus = 7% of RDA (about 600 mg)

Glycemic Index Black Grapes

Black Grapes has a Glycemic Index of 53 which is medium. Glycemic Index are for foods you eat, ranks carbohydrate-containing foods by how quickly they digest and raise your blood sugar or glucose levels. Foods rank from 0 to 50 are low GI, 51 to 69 are medium and 70 to 100 are high. Foods that are high in GI are not suitable for weight loss and diabetics. Fruits like Grapes have a medium GI and hence consume in moderation.

chopped black grapes

Place the grapes on a chopping board and cut each grape in half. Now make vertical slits on each half, arrange the strips together and make horizontal slits to get chopped grapes. The slits can be made finely or thickly to get finely chopped or roughly chopped grapes as per recipe requirements. Chopped grapes are usually used as toppings on fruit tarts or as an edible garnish on desserts. Use a mix of various colours of grapes to add to a dish?s visual appeal.

black grape halves

Take a few black grapes and place them on a chopping board. Take a grape and cut it vertically from the center to get two equal halves using a sharp knife. Use as required.