NutriDex

The Supplement Research Compendium
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Cempedak

Artocarpus integer

Aromatic jackfruit cousin rich in prenylflavones

Preliminary evidence 🍎Fruits

✚ Updated · How we grade evidence

Evidence tier
Preliminary
Research weight
Citations
10 verified / 10
Classification
Fruits
❝
What the evidence says. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive.

Nutrition per serving 1 serving, pulp (100 g)

100gSERVING
  • Water 66.7 g67%
  • Sugars 20 g20%
  • Fibre 3.4 g3%
  • Other carbs 2.4 g2%
  • Protein 2.5 g3%
  • Fat 0.4 g0%
  • Other 4.6 g5%
What's in one serving, by weight — average composition (USDA).
Vitamin C20%Potassium5%Fiber12%Thiamin (B1)17%Riboflavin (B2)15%Calcium3%
One serving as % of the adult daily requirement (FDA Daily Values). The bold outer ring = 100% of a day's needs.
117 kcal2.5 g protein3.4 g fiber0.4 g fat
NutrientPer serving% daily value
Vitamin C18 mg20%
Potassium246 mg5%
Fiber3.4 g12%
Thiamin (B1)0.2 mg17%
Riboflavin (B2)0.2 mg15%
Calcium40 mg3%
Niacin (B3)0.5 mg3%
Iron1.1 mg6%
Vitamin A (RAE)13 µg1%

Composition data: USDA FoodData Central ↗

What is Cempedak?

Cempedak (Artocarpus integer) is a fruit used for antioxidant / free-radical scavenging activity (dpph, frap, abts) from phenolic-rich pulp, peel and seed (in vitro). NutriDex grades the human evidence as Preliminary. Cempedak is a Southeast-Asian Artocarpus fruit closely related to jackfruit, valued in food-composition databases as an energy-moderate, fiber- and potassium-containing fruit with appreciable vitamin C and carotenoids. The direct human evidence base is essentially absent: published studies are overwhelmingly phytochemical and in-vitro/in-vivo (animal/cell) work, not clinical trials in people. Laboratory studies consistently show that its phenolic-rich extracts (especially peel and seed) have strong antioxidant capacity, and isolated prenylated flavonoids and stilbenes display potent tyrosinase inhibition and antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum. The seed is a documented source of resistant starch with prebiotic, probiotic-promoting effects in vitro. Genus-level human data are stronger only for the sister species: a small randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of green-jackfruit flour (Artocarpus heterophyllus) lowered HbA1c and fasting/postprandial glucose in type 2 diabetes, and broader meta-analytic data show fruit modestly lowers fasting glucose. None of these clinical findings have been replicated with cempedak itself, so all human-health claims for this specific fruit remain preliminary and extrapolated. It is best regarded as a nutritious whole fruit with promising but pre-clinical bioactive chemistry.

Purported Benefits

✓Antioxidant / free-radical scavenging activity (DPPH, FRAP, ABTS) from phenolic-rich pulp, peel and seed (in vitro)
✓Fiber- and resistant-starch-rich seed with documented prebiotic (Lactobacillus-promoting) activity in vitro
✓Source of potent tyrosinase-inhibiting flavonoids (skin-brightening / anti-browning interest; cell-free/in vitro)
✓Antimalarial prenylated stilbenes/flavones active against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro (and a related species extract in mice)
✓Provides potassium, vitamin C, B-vitamins and carotenoids in an energy-moderate tropical fruit
✓Genus-level signals for glycemic control (green-jackfruit-flour RCT in the sister species) suggesting carbohydrate-quality interest

Dosing & Compounds

Typical Dose
1 serving of fresh pulp, roughly 100 g (about 4-6 arils)
Active Compounds
Prenylated flavonoids (cyclochampedol, artoindonesianins, heteroflavanone)Prenylated stilbenes (trans-4-(3-methyl-E-but-1-enyl)-tetrahydroxystilbene)Arylbenzofurans (licocoumarone, moracin derivatives)Phenolic acids / total polyphenols (gallic-acid-equivalent rich peel & seed)Flavonoids (artocarpesin, norartocarpetin, oxyresveratrol, artocarpanone)Carotenoids (beta-carotene) and vitamin C (ascorbic acid)Dietary fiber and resistant starch (seed)Potassium and B-vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin)

Safety & Cautions

Cempedak is a high-carbohydrate, moderate-energy fruit (~117 kcal/100 g) and can raise blood glucose; people with diabetes should portion-control and monitor. As a Moraceae/Artocarpus fruit it shares allergens with jackfruit and may cross-react in those with latex-fruit or birch-pollen (PR-10/profilin) allergy or jackfruit allergy. The aromatic latex/sap can be irritating and sticky; seeds are typically boiled or roasted before eating. Bioactive extracts (concentrated flavonoids/stilbenes) are not the same as eating the fruit and have not been tested for safety or drug interactions in humans—avoid medicinal-dose extracts without supervision, particularly alongside antidiabetic or antimalarial drugs. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Cempedak with any medicine.

Key Studies ★ 10 studies

Meta-analysis of RCTs Ren 2023 ✓ Full text
Meta-analysis of 19 RCTs (888 participants) found fruit consumption significantly lowered fasting blood glucose (MD -8.38 mg/dL, 95% CI -12.34 to -4.43) with no significant change in HbA1c.
Randomized controlled trial (sister species) Rao 2021 ✓ PubMed
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (n=40, 12 wk) of green-jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) flour replacing rice/wheat significantly reduced HbA1c and fasting/postprandial glucose in type 2 diabetes.
In vitro / compositional study Bakar 2009 ✓ Full text
Across Bornean Artocarpus/Mangifera fruits, total phenolic content ranged 5.96–103.3 mg GAE/g, with peel/seed/kernel fractions showing the strongest radical-scavenging and ferric-reducing activity.
Narrative review Jagtap 2010 ✓ PubMed
Review of Artocarpus phytochemistry catalogues prenylflavones, stilbenes and arylbenzofurans across the genus and their antimalarial, cytotoxic, tyrosinase-inhibitory and antioxidant activities.
In vitro / phytochemical isolation Siridechakorn 2024 ✓ Full text
Compounds isolated from A. integer roots inhibited tyrosinase, with cyclochampedol (IC50 1.7 µM) and licocoumarone (IC50 1.2 µM) far exceeding kojic acid (25.9 µM).
In vitro Wong 2021 ✓ Full text
Seed-derived extract of A. integer resisted gastric/enzymatic digestion (~90% reaching the intestine) and promoted probiotic growth (L. casei 8.33, L. acidophilus 6.96 log10 CFU at 72 h), indicating prebiotic potential.
Animal study (in vivo) Widyawaruyanti 2020 ✓ Full text
Formulated Artocarpus champeden (cempedak) extract suppressed Plasmodium berghei parasitaemia (~72% at top dose) and modulated immune response (raised IFN-γ) in infected mice.
Food-science experimental study Rahmadi 2018 ✓ PubMed
Drying-temperature optimization of fermented mandai cempedak gave total phenolics 348.8 mg GAE/kg and antioxidant IC50 of 56.96 ppm, with phenolics the main antioxidant contributors.
In vitro / phytochemical isolation Nguyen 2016 ✓ PubMed
Tyrosinase-inhibitory flavonoids isolated from Artocarpus (artocarpanone IC50 2.0 µM, the most potent) support genus-wide skin-whitening potential relevant to A. integer.
In vitro / phytochemical isolation Boonlaksiri 2000 ✓ PubMed
Antimalarial activity-guided fractionation of A. integer aerial parts yielded a prenylated stilbene active against Plasmodium falciparum with EC50 ≈ 1.7 µg/mL in culture.
10 sources cited · 10 verified Search all studies on PubMed ↗

Common questions about Cempedak

What is Cempedak used for?

Cempedak is most often taken for Antioxidant / free-radical scavenging activity (DPPH, FRAP, ABTS) from phenolic-rich pulp, peel and seed (in vitro), Fiber- and resistant-starch-rich seed with documented prebiotic (Lactobacillus-promoting) activity in vitro, Source of potent tyrosinase-inhibiting flavonoids (skin-brightening / anti-browning interest; cell-free/in vitro), Antimalarial prenylated stilbenes/flavones active against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro (and a related species extract in mice). Aromatic jackfruit cousin rich in prenylflavones

Does Cempedak work — what does the evidence say?

Preliminary evidence. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive. Cempedak is a Southeast-Asian Artocarpus fruit closely related to jackfruit, valued in food-composition databases as an energy-moderate, fiber- and potassium-containing fruit with appreciable vitamin C and carotenoids. The direct human evidence base is essentially absent: published studies are overwhelmingly phytochemical and in-vitro/in-vivo (animal/cell) work, not clinical trials in people. Laboratory studies consistently show that its phenolic-rich extracts (especially peel and seed) have strong antioxidant capacity, and isolated prenylated flavonoids and stilbenes display potent tyrosinase inhibition and antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum. The seed is a documented source of resistant starch with prebiotic, probiotic-promoting effects in vitro. Genus-level human data are stronger only for the sister species: a small randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of green-jackfruit flour (Artocarpus heterophyllus) lowered HbA1c and fasting/postprandial glucose in type 2 diabetes, and broader meta-analytic data show fruit modestly lowers fasting glucose. None of these clinical findings have been replicated with cempedak itself, so all human-health claims for this specific fruit remain preliminary and extrapolated. It is best regarded as a nutritious whole fruit with promising but pre-clinical bioactive chemistry.

What is the typical dose of Cempedak?

1 serving of fresh pulp, roughly 100 g (about 4-6 arils)

Is Cempedak safe? Any cautions or side effects?

Cempedak is a high-carbohydrate, moderate-energy fruit (~117 kcal/100 g) and can raise blood glucose; people with diabetes should portion-control and monitor. As a Moraceae/Artocarpus fruit it shares allergens with jackfruit and may cross-react in those with latex-fruit or birch-pollen (PR-10/profilin) allergy or jackfruit allergy. The aromatic latex/sap can be irritating and sticky; seeds are typically boiled or roasted before eating. Bioactive extracts (concentrated flavonoids/stilbenes) are not the same as eating the fruit and have not been tested for safety or drug interactions in humans—avoid medicinal-dose extracts without supervision, particularly alongside antidiabetic or antimalarial drugs.

How many studies support Cempedak?

NutriDex cites 10 sources for Cempedak, graded "Preliminary".

Cite this page
APA

Peh, D. (2026). Cempedak (Artocarpus integer): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 26 Jun 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/cempedak

BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_cempedak,
  author       = {Peh, Daryl},
  title        = {Cempedak (Artocarpus integer): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
  url          = {https://nutridex.info/s/cempedak},
  note         = {Reviewed by Dr Daryl Peh, MBBS Singapore, MMed FM. Accessed 2026-06-26}
}

For medical claims, citing the underlying primary studies linked above is preferred. NutriDex is an educational reference, not medical advice.

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