Dragon Fruit and Durian - Tropical and Subtropical Fruits: Postharvest Physiology, Processing and Packaging - page 575

that at ambient temperature, minimally processed durian
could only be stored for 1 day, after which the pulp became
acidified, whereas it could be held at 4 ◦ C for 14 days with
acceptable microbiological count and without any off-odor
development.
Voon et al. (2007) also studied the volatile flavor com-
pounds and sensory properties of minimally processed
durian fruit stored at 4 ◦ C. Decreases in levels of the ma-
jority of ester compounds were observed after 14 days of
storage. Quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) was car-
ried out using 16 descriptors (e.g., surface color, odor, fla-
vor, and texture) of fruit during storage; the results showed
that fruit could be stored for 21 days, after which the green
aroma became too intense and rendered the fruit unaccept-
able. Sweet and fruity aroma correlated strongly with some
ester and aldehyde compounds, while correlations between
perceived sulfur aromas and sulfur compounds were poor.
A green note and off odors correlated well with benzyl
alcohol and 1-hexanol.

ans also contain a variety of phytochemicals (polyphenols,
flavonoids, flavanols, tannins, anthocyanins, caffeic acid,
and quercetin), which are strong antioxidants. Antioxidants
have a potential to inhibit cancer cell proliferation, reduce
lipid peroxidation, and decrease cholesterolemia. The phy-
tochemical composition of durian is cultivar and maturity
stage dependent. The content of polyphenols, flavonoids,
and antioxidant activity are highest in overripe durian, while
flavanols and antiproliferative activity is highest in mature
fruit (Haruenkit et al., 2010).
Chinese consider the durian fruit to have “warming”
properties (Huang, 1998), they pour water into the empty
shell of the fruit and drink it after the pulp has been con-
sumed (Davidson, 1999). Pregnant women or people with
high blood pressure are traditionally advised not to con-
sume durian (McElroy and Townsend, 2003). Several med-
ical investigations on the validity of this belief have been
conducted with varying conclusions (Brown, 1997).

REFERENCES
Anon. 2010. Dragon fruit/pitaya fruit. http://dragon.fruit
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Anon. 2011a. Dragon fruit (pitaya). http://en.wikipedia
.org/wiki/pitaya/ .
Anon. 2011b. Durian. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian/ .
APO [Asian Productivity Organization]. 2006. Post Harvest
Management of Fruit and Vegetables in the Asia-Pacific
Region . Tokyo: APO. 312 p.
Ariffin AA, Bakar J, Tan CP, Rahman RA, Karim R, Loi CC.
2009. Essential fatty acids of pitaya (dragon fruit) seed oil.
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Bai-Ngew S, Therdthai N, Dhamvithee P. 2011. Characteriza-
tion of microwave vacuum-dried durian chips. J Food Eng
104: 114-22.
Barbeau GG. 1990. La pitahaya rouge, un nouveau fruit ex-
otique (the red pitahaya, a new exotic fruit). Fruits 45:
141-47.
BAS [Bureau of Agricultural Statistics]. Fruit Production
Data . Manila: BAS.
Brooncherm P, Siriphanich J. 1991. Postharvest physiology of
durian pulp and husk. Kasetsart J (Nat Sci) 25: 119-25.
Brown MJ. 1997. Durio—A Bibliographic Review. Arora RK,
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Chansamrankul C, Srilaong V, Uthairatanakij A, Pongphenjita-
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Durian processing and products
A limited number of processed products are prepared from
durian fruit. The fruit pulp is dehydrated and sold as durian
cake , boiled with sugar, fermented or salted, while the dried
aril is used as a flavoring in ice cream, confectionery, pastry,
and soft drinks (Paull and Ketsa, 2004). Durian chips can
be made from the immature and unripe durian pulp, as the
lighter color flesh makes more attractive chips. Boiled or
roasted seeds are eaten as snacks in Thailand.
There are number of studies that have reported on exper-
imental development of processed durian products: juice
(Norjana and Noor-Aziah, 2011); aril and rind slurries
(Wong et al., 2009); vacuum-dried chips (Bai-Ngew et al.,
2011); drying kinetics of chips (Jamradloedluk et al., 2007);
fruit leather (Irwandi et al., 1998, 2008); pulp spray- and
freeze-drying (Chin et al., 2008); and spray-dried powder
(Chin et al., 2010). Extraction of pectin from durian rind
was reported by Wong et al. (2010).

Nutritional profile and health benefits
Durian fruit composition and the nutritional profile is given
in Table 30.4. Durian is rich in vitamins B1 (thiamin), B6,
and C (ascorbic acid). Moreover, dietary fiber, potassium,
and trace metal (copper, iron, manganese and magnesium)
contents are present in appreciable quantity. Durian also
contains adequate amounts of an essential amino acid tryp-
tophan, which metabolizes in the human body into two
neurochemicals, serotonin and melatonin, that have an im-
portant role in sleep induction and treatment of epilepsy
(Leontowicz et al., 2008; Haruenkit et al., 2010). Duri-