Is Black Currant Acidic or Alkaline?
Black currant (fresh) is strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
At −5.5, black currants are clearly alkaline and just a touch ahead of red ones, driven mainly by potassium with little protein. As with all berries, the tart taste is misleading. In juice or jelly, most of the potassium is kept but heavily diluted, so a spoonful of jelly on your bread is not the same as a bowl of fresh berries.
In the Fruit category, black currant (fresh) ranks #22 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Banana (−6.4), Apricot (−7.2), Jackfruit (−7.7). More acid-forming are Cantaloupe (−5.4), Red currant (−5.3), Dried cranberry (−5.1).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is black currant acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Black currant (fresh) has a PRAL of −5.5 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much black currant do I need for a noticeable effect?
One piece or a handful (120 g) of black currant adds −6.7 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of black currant roughly offsets one of them.
Why is black currant alkaline even though it tastes sour?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Black currant provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−5.5).
Black Currant logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Fruit: Fruit table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.