The fresh fruit keeps well for 5 to 10 days at normal temperature. In Puerto Rico, a mealybug, Pseudococcus sp., infests the new growth but causes little harm. However, Psara periosalis has been very damaging in the fall. Cutworms and leaf-eating insects require control. In Brazil, a hemipterous bug of the family Tingidae colonizes the underside of the leaves, causing them to discolor and fall.
More sophisticated people use the fruit in salads, cook it with fish and also in meat stews.
Sweetened, it is used to make sauce and pie-filling. It is prized for making jam, marmalade, paste, and jelly, and is sometimes pickled or candied. It is often processed as a nectar or juice which, sweetened with sugar, is a popular cold beverage. In Brazil, the leaves are cooked and eaten as well. Venezuelan studies reveal 142 mg tannin.