Blackcurrants are popular fruits used in cuisine all across the world.they have a strong and tart flavour which often requires sweetening.
It is often used in jams and jellies and it’s fruit is often cooked in sugar which in turn produces a purée.
Their strong flavour also combines well with other fruits to for summer pies or crumbles.
Let’s take a look at their nutritional data. In particular looking at their sugar, phosphorus, calcium, fat and acidic content.
Image and info source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackcurrant
Currants, European black, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energyt264 kJ (63 kcal)
Carbohydratest15.4 g
Fatt0.4 g
Proteint1.4 g
Thiamine (vit. B1)t0.05 mg (4%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)t0.05 mg (4%)
Niacin (vit. B3)t0.3 mg (2%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)t0.398 mg (8%)
Vitamin B6t0.066 mg (5%)
Vitamin Ct181 mg (218%)
Vitamin Et1 mg (7%)
Calciumt55 mg (6%)
Iront1.54 mg (12%)
Magnesiumt24 mg (7%)
Manganeset0.256 mg (12%)
Phosphorust59 mg (8%)
Potassiumt322 mg (7%)
Sodiumt2 mg (0%)
Zinct0.27 mg (3%)
As you can see blackcurrants contain quite a bit of phosphorus, some calcium, they are also a bit acidic and have a hint of fat in them.
However they also have an extraordinary amount of vitamin c which is fantastic for guinea pigs.
This means that they can eat blackcurrants, but only on a once a week basis because of their calcium, phosphorus and acidic content. However their vitamin c content makes them more than worth while in adding to a guinea pigs diet.