The sweet and sour taste of grapes makes them tasty. But they are quite acidic in nature. Their acidity is even higher than cherries and blueberries. Therefore, whether it is suitable for you to eat grapes or not while having GERD depends on different factors. We will have a look at them here.
pH of grapes
The most important thing that will determine the acidity of grapes is their pH. The lower the pH, the higher the acidity level. So the pH of grapes is between pH 1.9 to 4. This means that if the grapes are not sweet, they might even result in a sore throat. In addition to this, eating too many grapes can cause acid reflux. Therefore, even if you enjoy eating them, you should look for the sweetest ones. Furthermore, you should always eat them in moderation.
Main ingredients
The three main ingredients of grapes are;
Tartaric acid
Malic acid
Tartaric and malic acid contribute the highest acidic concentration in grapes, which is 90 percent. The remaining 10 percent comes from citric acid. Therefore, grapes are sour in taste despite their sweetness.
Are all grapes equally acidic?
Of course not. There are a lot of varieties of grapes and their acidity level also varies. For example, table grapes with thick skin (the cardinal variety) have a pH of 3.47.
However, if you take Italian variety table grapes with thick skin, their pH is 3.30. And if you take Wine grapes of the Riesling variety having thin skin, their pH is the lowest, which is 3.29.
The one with the lowest pH
Concord’s variety of grapes that are purple in color are the ones with the lowest pH. And lowest pH means that they are highly acidic in nature. Their pH is 1.9 which is even lower than limes and grapefruit. In addition to this, even in the Concord variety, the grapes that are ripened will have the sweetest taste. On the other hand, unripe grapes will taste spicy to sour. This is because of the presence of tannins in their skin. It affects the taste of grapes.
Black grapes
Black grapes are also quite sour. And although they look quite lovely and attractive, they might not be to your liking. They have additional malic and tartaric acid that increases their acidity.
Conclusion
Considering all the factors and the pH of different varieties of grapes, they surely are acidic in nature. However, despite the presence of so much acid in them, they are not that bad for people suffering from acid reflux.
Additionally, if you eat grapes, they might actually be good for your acid reflux. In addition to this, research studies show that consuming grapes actually increases the alkalinity of human blood. Thus, if you are suffering from GERD, you can try eating grapes. They might resolve your issue. If not, you can just stop eating them. It won’t harm you much.