📊 Full nutrition facts — per 100g
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily value | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 40 kcal | 2% | |
| Carbohydrates | 7.3g | 2% | |
| Dietary fibre | 2.5g | 9% | |
| Sugars | 5.7g | — | |
| GI (Glycaemic Index) | ~30 — Low | — | |
| Protein | 2.5g | 5% | |
| Vitamin C | ~150mg | ~167% | |
| Iron | 5.2mg | 29% | |
| Calcium | 75mg | 8% | |
| Rutin (flavonoid) | very high | — | |
| Folate | 38µg | 10% | |
| Zinc | 1.2mg | 10% |
Note: nutritional data for native foods varies by harvest region, season and preparation method. Source: FSANZ and published research.
📈 Glycaemic index (GI)
💊 Key active compounds & nutrients
✅ Health benefits
Quandong provides approximately 150mg of vitamin C per 100g of fresh fruit — roughly twice the concentration of oranges (53mg/100g). Vitamin C is essential for immune function, collagen synthesis, iron absorption from plant sources and antioxidant defence. The vitamin C in quandong is well-retained during traditional preservation methods (drying, cooking) due to the fruit's high acidity protecting it from oxidation.
Quandong is one of the richest known food sources of rutin — a flavonoid glycoside (quercetin-3-rutinoside) with potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and vascular-protective properties. Rutin has documented effects on reducing capillary fragility, anti-platelet aggregation and anti-inflammatory cytokine reduction. Rutins in combination with vitamin C (both present in quandong) have synergistic antioxidant effects.
Quandong provides 5.2mg of iron per 100g (29% RDI) — extraordinarily high for a fruit — and 75mg of calcium per 100g (8% RDI). The high vitamin C content in quandong simultaneously improves iron absorption from the fruit itself — a nutritionally efficient combination. This mineral profile made quandong particularly important to desert Aboriginal peoples for whom other iron-rich food sources were limited.
Quandong has been used in Aboriginal traditional medicine across Australia's arid regions for wound healing, skin conditions and as an analgesic. The seeds contain oils with anti-inflammatory properties and the bark was used as a tonic. Modern phytochemical research has identified ellagic acid, gallic acid and various tannins in quandong that have demonstrated wound-healing and anti-inflammatory properties in laboratory studies, providing biological support for traditional uses.
⚠️ Who should limit or avoid
Fresh quandong is intensely tart-to-sour with a flavour profile described as crossing a peach with a rhubarb-apricot combination. It is rarely eaten fresh without sweetening. Most culinary preparations use dried quandong in jams, chutneys, sauces and desserts where sweetener is added. This is not a health concern but an important expectation management note — do not buy quandong expecting sweet fresh fruit flavour without preparation.
Quandong is a root hemiparasite — it attaches to the roots of host plants to supplement its nutrition. This biological characteristic makes commercial cultivation challenging, as quandong must be grown alongside suitable host plants (various native and some introduced species). Commercial plantings exist but yields are variable. This limits availability and drives premium pricing — quandong is typically 5–10x more expensive than equivalent exotic fruit ingredients.
🛒 How to source & use quandong
Fresh quandong is extremely rare commercially — available only seasonally (August–November) from specialist native food producers and some farmers' markets in SA, WA, NSW outback regions and QLD. Dried quandong (halved, dried fruit) is the most widely available form — used like dried cranberries or dried apricots in cooking. Quandong jam, paste and sauce are available from specialty and native food stores. Frozen quandong is available from some suppliers for chefs and food manufacturers.
All commercial quandong sold in Australia should be domestically produced — there is no significant import supply. Look for products specifying Australian-grown (SA, WA or NSW), and where possible products supporting Aboriginal community enterprises. The colour of dried quandong should be deep red-orange — pale or brown dried quandong has oxidised and lost much of its vitamin C and rutin content.
Dried quandong needs rehydration before use — soak in water for 1–2 hours or simmer for 10 minutes. Use in jams (pairs with vanilla and cinnamon), chutneys (excellent with red meat), sauces for game and kangaroo, crumbles and tarts (classic Australian bush tucker dessert), and salad dressings where tart fruit flavour is desired. Balance the tartness with honey or brown sugar. Pairs exceptionally well with macadamia nuts and wattleseed.
🧊 Storage tips & shelf life
Dried quandong stores well in a sealed container away from heat, light and moisture. The high vitamin C and rutin content are better preserved when kept cool and dark. Check for any signs of moisture or mould — dried quandong should be dry, slightly flexible and deep red-orange in colour.
Refrigeration extends the nutritional quality of dried quandong significantly — particularly vitamin C retention. Fresh quandong is extremely perishable and must be refrigerated immediately and used within a week. Quandong jam and sauce: 2–3 months after opening in the fridge.
Both fresh and dried quandong freeze excellently. Fresh quandong: halve, remove seed, freeze on tray then bag. Dried quandong can be used directly from frozen in cooking. Freezing preserves vitamin C and rutin content far better than long-term room temperature storage.
📖 About quandong — complete guide
Quandong (Santalum acuminatum) occupies a unique place in Australian botanical and cultural history. As a member of the Santalaceae family, it is a close relative of sandalwood — a relationship evident in the hard, beautifully grained seeds that were traditionally carved and strung as decorative objects. Quandong is what botanists call a root hemiparasite — it is capable of photosynthesis but supplements its nutrition by attaching specialised structures called haustoria to the roots of host plants and extracting water and minerals. This unusual biology allowed quandong to survive in the extremely low-rainfall environments of Australia's interior where few other fruiting plants could establish. For Aboriginal Australians across the arid zone — including Adnyamathanha, Kokatha, Ngaanyatjarra, Martu and many other peoples — quandong was a critical food, medicine and cultural material.
The modern commercial quandong industry is small but growing — total annual production is estimated at less than 100 tonnes, making it rare and expensive relative to most food ingredients. Most commercial production comes from cultivation in South Australia's mid-north and WA's wheatbelt, where farmers have developed techniques for growing quandong alongside suitable host plants (typically native shrubs or sometimes exotics like rose bushes and garden plants). The cultivation challenge of the hemiparasitic growth habit has slowed commercial expansion, but research at the University of Adelaide and Flinders University has produced improved cultivation protocols that are gradually increasing yields. The premium pricing of quandong (typically AUD 40–80/kg dried) reflects both the cultivation difficulty and the growing domestic and international interest in Australian native ingredients for premium food products.