The first objective of this paper was to demonstrate the feasibility of using 1H and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques to characterize the composition and condition of water and sugar in immature and mature sapota fruit. The second objective was to use 1H NMR to characterize changes in the status of water and the presence of sugars during the maturation of sapota fruit. The free induction decay (FID) spectrum measurement technique was able to distinguish the soluble carbohydrates. A comparison of 13C-NMR spectra of immature and ripe fruits revealed that fructose and glucose peaks were present in the spectrum of the ripe fruit, whereas the spectrum of the immature fruit had only a sucrose peak. The local physical status of water in sapota fruits was determined by measuring the 1H NMR spectra at four different growth stages (2, 4, 6 and 8 months after fruit set). Fruits at the early growth stage showed a broadened peak, suggesting the restriction of water mobility. In the frequency domain spectra of ripened fruits, the sugar peaks were to the right of the water peak and at a slightly lower ppm. Non-symmetry of the peaks in the ripened fruits suggests the interaction of water molecules with soluble carbohydrates, whereas symmetrical peaks reflected restriction of the mobility of water during the early growth stage.