Document Type : Review paper

Authors

1 School of Agriculture and Rural Development, Bangladesh Open University, Gazipur, Bangladesh

2 School of Science and Technology, Bangladesh Open University, Gazipur, Bangladesh

3 Department of Community Medicine, Shahabuddin Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract

This review is planned to discuss the cultivation technology, nutritional values and health benefits of Dragon fruit. Dragon fruit plant has wide adaptability and grown well in slightly heavy texture soils. Plants are commonly propagated by stem cuttings. Flower buds are emerging after 15-18 months of planting and required 28-30 days for blooming. This fruit is popular due to its nutritional value, which is a good source of minerals, glucose, fructose, dietary fiber and vitamins. It strengthens the immune system of the human body and is also used in the treatment of diabetes, heart diseases and in maintaining healthy body weight. The yield and nutritional value of Dragon fruit vary depending on the species, cultivation practices, growing area and harvesting time. Dragon fruit peel has a high potential to be used as a natural dye. Numbers of commercial growers are gradually increasing in different countries due to getting a lucrative price of their product in the markets. At present, little information is available on production aspects of Dragon fruit. Research on different aspects of cultivation and health benefits of this fruit can help to maximize the benefits to worldwide growers and consumers and to expand the market of Dragon fruit.

Keywords

1. Aghajanpour M, Nazer M.R, Obeidavi Z, Akbari M, Ezati P, Kor N.M. 2017. Functional foods and their role in cancer prevention and health promotion: a comprehensive review. The American Journal of Cancer Research 7(4):740-769.
2. Ariffin A.A, Bakar J, Tan C.P, Rahman R.A, Karim R, Loi C.C. 2009. Essential fatty acids of Pitaya (Dragon fruit) seed oil. Food Chemistry114, 561-564. 3. Barros A, GironesVilaplana A, Texeira A, Baenas N, Dominguez Perles R. 2015. Grape stems as a source of bioactive compounds: application towards added value commodities and significance for human health. Photochemistry Reviews 14(6), 921-931.
4. Charoensiri R, Ratchanee K, Suknicom S, Sungpuag P. 2009. Beta-carotene, lycopene, and alpha-tocopherol contents of selected Thai fruits. Food Chemistry 113, 202-207. 5. Cheah L.K, Eid A.M, Aziz A, Ariffin F.D, Elmahjoubi A, Elmarzugi N.A. 2016. Phytochemical Properties and Health Benefits of Hylocereus undatus. Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology 1(1), 1-10.
6. Choo W.S, Yong W.K. 2011. Antioxidant properties of two species of Hylocereus fruits. Advances in Applied Science Research 2(3), 418-425.
7. Crane J.H, Balerdi C.F. 2005. Pitaya (Dragon fruit) Growing in the Florida Home Landscape. Series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension (HS1068). The University of Florida.
8. Davis. 2007. Pitahaya (Dragon Fruit) Research & Production in California UC Small Farm Program 2007 Specialty Crops Conference Davis, CA. 9. Duarte T.L, Lunec J. 2005. Review: When is an antioxidant not an antioxidant? A review of novel actions and reactions of vitamin C. Free Radical Research 39(7), 671-686.
10. Feng-Ru C, Chung-Ruey Y. 1997. Flowering and fruit growth of pitaya (Hylocereus undatus Britt.Rose). Journal of the Chinese Society of Horticultural Science 43, 314-321.
11. Franke A.A, Cluster L.J, Arakaki C, Murphy S.P. 2004. Vitamin C and flavonoid levels of fruits and vegetables consumed in Hawaii.Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 17, 1-35.
12. Gunasena H.P, Pushpakumara D.K.N.G, Kariawasam M. 2007. Underutilized fruit trees in Sri Lanka: Dragon fruit Hylocereusundatus (Haw.) Britton and Rose. World agroforestry centre ICRAF, New Delhi, India. pp. 110-141.
13. Hamidah H, Tsawab, Rosmanida. 2017. Analysis of Hylocereus spp. diversity based on phenetic method. AIP Conference Proceedings 1854, 020012, Indonesia.
14. Harivaindaran K.V, Rebecca O.P.S, Chandran S. 2008. Study of optimal temperature, pH and stability of Dragon fruit (Hylocereuspolyrhizus) peel for use as potential natural colorant. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences 11(18), 2259-2263.
15. Hernawati N.A, Setiawan R, Shintawati, Priyandoko D. 2018. The role of red Dragon fruit peel (Hylocereuspolyrhizus) to improvement blood lipid levels of hyperlipidaemia male mice. Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 1013 012167.
16. Hoa T.T, Clark C.J, Waddell B.C, Woolf A.B. 2006. Postharvest quality of Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) following disinfesting hot
Farid Md. Hossain et al. Int. J. Hort. Sci. Technol. 2021 8(3): 239-249
247
air treatments. Postharvest biology and technology 41(1), 62-69.
17. Hunt D.R. 2006. The new cactus Lexicon illustrations. Vol. I & II. DH Books, Milborne Port, UK.925 p.
18. Islam M.Z, Khan M.T.H, Hoque M.M, Rahman M.M. 2012. Studies on the Processing and Preservation of Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus undatus) Jelly. The Agriculturists 10 (2), 29-35.
19. Jaafar R.A, Rahman A.R.B.A, Mahmod N.Z.C, Vasudevan R. 2009. Proximate analysis of Dragon fruit (Hylecereus polyhizus). American Journal of Applied Sciences 6 (7), 1341-1346.
20. Jeronimo M.C, Orsine J.V.C, Novaes M.R.C.G. 2017. Nutritional pharmacological and toxicological characteristics of Pitaya (Hylocereus undatus): A review of the literature. African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 11(27), 300-304.
21. Karunakaran G, Arivalagan M. 2019. Dragon Fruit - A New Introduction Crop with Promising market. Indian Horticulture 63(1), 8-11.
22. Kumar S.B, Issac R, Prabha M.L. 2018. Functional and health-promoting bioactivities of Dragon fruit.Drug Invention Today 10 (3), 3307-3310.
23. Le Bellec F, Vaillant F, Imbert E. 2006. Pitahaya (Hylocereus spp.): A new fruit crop, a market with a future. Fruits61 (04), 237-250.
24. Levy J, Bosin E, Feldman B, Giat Y, Miinster A, Danilenko M, Sharoni Y. 1995. Lycopene is a more potent inhibitor of human cancer cell proliferation than either α or ß-carotene. Nutrition and Cancer 24, 257–266.
25. Liaotrakoon W. 2013. Characterization of Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) components with valorization potential. PhD thesis, Ghent University, Belgium, 217 p.
26. Lim H.K, C.P, Tan C.P, Bakar J, Ng S.P. 2012. Effects of different wall materials on the physicochemical properties and oxidative stability of spray-dried microencapsulated red fleshed pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) seed oil. Food Bioprocess Technology 5, 1220-1227.
27. Lim H.K, Tan C.P, Karim R, Ariffin A.A, Bakar J. 2010. Chemical composition and DSC thermal properties of two species of Hylocereus cacti seed oil: Hylocereus undatus and Hylocereus polyrhizus. Food Chemistry 119, 1326-1331.
28. Lim Y.Y, Lim T.T, Tee J.J. 2007. Antioxidant properties of several tropical fruits: A comparative study. Food Chemistry 103, 1003-1008.
29. Luo H, Cai, Y, Peng Z, Liu T, Yang S. 2014. Chemical composition and in vitro evaluation of the cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of supercritical carbon dioxide extracts of Pitaya (Dragon fruit) peel. Chemistry Central Journal 8(1), 1-10.
30. Mahattanatawee K, Manthey J.A, Luzio G, Talcott S.T, Goodner K, Baldwin E.A. 2006. Total antioxidant activity and fiber content of select Florida-grown tropical fruits. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 54, 7355-7363.
31. Mahdi M.A, Mohammed M.T, Jassim A.M.N, Mohammed A.I. 2018. Phytochemical content and anti-oxidant activity of hylocereus undatus and study of toxicity and the ability of wound treatment. Plant Archives 18(2), 2672-2680.
32. Mallik B, Hossain M, Rahim A. 2018. Influences of variety and flowering time on some physiomorphological and chemical traits of Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.). Journal of Horticulture and Postharvest Research1 (2), 115-130.
33. McMahon G. 2003. Pitaya (Dragon Fruit), Northern Territory Government, Darwin, Northern territory, Australia. pp. 1-2.
34. Merten S. 2003. A review of Hylocereus production in the United States. Journal of the Professional Association for Cactus Development 5, 98- 105.
35. Minh N.P, Nhan N.P.T, Tha D.T, Thuy L.K., Khai, L.Q, Tu L.N. 2019. Different Aspects Affecting To Production of Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus undatus) Nectar. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research 11(3), 1040-1043.
36. Mizrahi Y, Nerd A, Nobel P.S. 1997. Cacti as crops. Horticultural Review 18, 291-320.
37. Mizrahi Y, Nerd A. 1999. Climbing and columnar cacti: New arid land fruit crops. In: Janick, J. (ed) Perspective on new crops and new uses. ASHS Press, American Society of Horticultural Science, Alexandria, Virginia: 358-366.
38. Morton J.F. 1987. Fruits of warm climates. Strawberry Pear. Florida Flair Books, Miami. pp. 347-348, 50.
Farid Md. Hossain et al. Int. J. Hort. Sci. Technol. 2021 8(3): 239-249
248
39. Moshfeghi N, Mahdavi O, Shahhosseini F, Malekifar S, Taghizadeh S.K. 2013. Introducing a new natural product from Dragon fruit into the market. International Journal of Research and Reviews in Applied Sciences 15(2), 269-272.
40. Nerd A, Gutman F, Mizrahi Y. 1999. Ripening and postharvest behaviour of fruits of two Hylocereusspecies (Cactaceae).Postharvest Biology and Technology 17 (1), 39-45.
41. Nerd A, Mizrahi Y. 1995. Effect of low winter temperatures on bud break in Opuntia ficusindica. Advances in Horticultural Science9, 188-191.
42. Nobel P.S, De la Barrera E. 2002. Stem water relations and wet CO2 uptake for a hemiepiphytic cactus during short term drought. Environmental and Experimental Botany 48, 129-137.
43. Nomura K, Ide M, Yonemoto Y. 2005. Changes in sugars and acids in pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) fruit during development. The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology 80(6), 711-715.
44. Nur Izalin M.Z, Kharidah M, Jamilah B. Noranizan M.A. 2016. Functional properties of pectin from Dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) peel and its sensory attributes. Journal of Tropical Agriculture & Food Science 44(1), 95-101. 45. Nurliyana R, Syed O.I, Syed Z. I, Koya. 2010. Antioxidant study of pulps and peels of Dragon fruits: a comparative study. Journal of International Food Research 17(2), 367-375.
46. Nurmahani M.M, Osman A, Hamid A.A, Ghazali F.M, Dek M.S. 2012. Antibacterial property of Hylocereus polyrhizus and Hylocereus undatus peel extracts. International Food Research Journal 19, 77-84.
47. Nurul S. R, Asmah R. 2014. Variability in nutritional composition and phytochemical properties of red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) from Malaysia and Australia. International Food Research Journal 21(4), 1689-1697.
48. Ortiz-Hernández, Y.D, Carrillo-Salazar J.A. 2012. Pitahaya (Hylocereus spp): a short review. Communicata Scientiae 3: 220–237. 49. Parmar M.Y, Pore1 D, Sharma S.K, Singh T, Pandya N. 2019. Health Benefits of Dragon Fruit. Nutrition & Food Science International Journal 8(4), 1-3.
50. Pascua L.T, Pascua M.E, Gabriel M.L.S. 2015. Dragon Fruit Production and Marketing in the
Philippines: Its Status, Constraints and Prospects. In: Jiang Y.L., P.C. Liu, P.H. Huang (eds). Improving Pitaya Production and Marketing. Food and Fertilizer Technology Center. Taipei, Taiwan PP. 47-65.
51. Patel S.K, Ishnava K.B. 2019. In-vitro Antioxidant and Antimicrobial activity of Fruit Pulp and Peel of Hylocereu sundatus (Haworth) Britton and Rose. Asian Journal of Ethnopharmacology and Medicinal Foods 5(2), 30-34.
52. Patwary M. M. A, Rahman M.H, Barua H, Sarkar S, Alam M.S. 2013. Study on the Growth and Development of two Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus undatus) Genotypes. The Agriculturists 11(2), 52-57.
53. Perween T, Mandal K.K, Hasan M.A. 2018. Dragon fruit: An exotic super future fruit of India. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 7(2), 1022-1026.
54. Pushpakumara D.K.N.G, Gunasena H.P.M, Kariayawasam M. 2005. Flowering and fruiting phenology, pollination vectors and breeding system of Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.). Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Science 42, 81-91.
55. Rahim M.A, Mithu S.A, Titu M.R.I, John M.T, Bhuya J. 2009. Dragon Fhaler Chas Korun (Bengali). Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh and Swiss Foundation Development and International Cooperation, Paragon press ltd.
56. Rao C.C, Sasanka V.M. 2015. Dragon Fruit ‘The Wondrous Fruit’ for the 21st century. Global Journal for Research Analysis 4(10), 261-262.
57. Rifat T, Khan K, Islam M.S. 2019. Genetic diversity in Dragon fruit (hylocereus sp) germplasms revealed by RAPD marker. The Journal Animal & Plant Science 29(3), 809-818.
58. Rodriguez E.B, Mark Louis P, Vidallon, David Joram R, Mendoza, Kevin Arbine M, Dalisay, Charisse T. Reyes. 2015. Stabilization of Betalains from the Peel of Red Dragon Fruit [Hylocereus polyrhizus (Weber) Britton & Rose] through Biopolymeric Encapsulation. Philippine Agricultural Scientist 98 (4), 276-286.
59. Senadheera P.N.M.K, Abeysinghe D.C. 2015. Bioactive Compounds and Total Antioxidant Capacity of Different Tissues of Two Pitaya (Dragon Fruit) Species Grown in Sri Lanka. Journal of Food and Agriculture 8 (1 & 2), 33-40.
Farid Md. Hossain et al. Int. J. Hort. Sci. Technol. 2021 8(3): 239-249
249
60. Sonawane M.S. 2017. Nutritive and medicinal value of Dragon fruit.The Asian Journal of Horticulture 12(2), 267-271.
61. Stintzing F.C, Schieber A, Carle R. 2003. Evaluation of color properties and chemical quality parameters of cactus juices. European Food Research Technology 216, 303-311.
62. Sushmitha H.S, Sathyamurthy B. 2018. In silico drug designing studies on dengue virus envelope protein. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 6(9), 138-143.
63. Tang P.Y, Wong C.J, Woo K.K. 2011. Optimization of pectin extraction from peel of Dragon fruit (Hylocereu spolyrhizus). Asian Journal of Biological Sciences 4(2), 189-195.
64. TFIDRA (Taiwan Food Industry Development and Research Authorities). 2005. [http//swarnabhumi.com/Dragon fruit/health _benefits_of_Dragonfruit.htm.]
65. Thokchom A, Hazarika B.N, Angami T. 2019. Dragon fruit-An advanced potential crop for Northeast India. Agriculture & Food: e-Newsletter. 1(4), 253-254.
66. To L.V, Ngu N, Duc N.D, Huong H.T.T. 2002. Dragon fruit quality and storage life: effect of harvest time, use of plant growth regulators and modified atmosphere packaging. Acta Horticulture 575, 611-621.
67. To L.V, Ngu N, Duc N.D, Trinh D.T.K, Thanh N.C, Mien D.V.H, Hai C.N, Long T.N. 1999. Quality assurance system for Dragon fruit The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Proceedings 100, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
68. Trivellini A, Lucchesini M, Ferrante A, Massa D, Orlando M, Incrocci L, Mensuali-Sodi A. 2020. Pitaya, an Attractive Alternative Crop for Mediterranean Region. Agronomy 10 (1065). 69. Verma D, Yadav R.K, Rani M.Y.B, Punar S, Sharma A, Maheshwari R.K. 2017. Miraculous Health Benefits of Exotic Dragon Fruit.Research Journal of Chemical and Environmental Sciences 5(5), 94-96. 70. Wall M.M. 2006. Ascorbic acid, vitamin A, and mineral composition of banana (Musa sp) and papaya (Carica papaya) cultivars grown in Hawaii. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 19, 434-445.
71. Weiss J, Nerd A, Mizrahi Y. 1994. Flowering behavior and pollination requirements in climbing cacti with fruit crop potential. HortScience 29, 1487-1492.
72. Wichienchot S, Jatupornpipat M. Rastall, R. A. 2010. Oligosaccharides of pitaya (Dragon fruit) flesh and their prebiotic properties. Food Chemistry 120(3), 850-857.
73. Xu L, Zhang Y. Wang L. 2016. Structure characteristics of a water-soluble polysaccharide purified from Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) pulp. Carbohydrate Polymers 146(1), 224-230.
74. Yen C.R, Chang F.R. 1997. Forcing pitaya (Hylocereus undatus Britt. & Rose) by chemicals, controlled day length and temperature. In: Proceedings of a Symposium on Enhancing Competitiveness of Fruit Industry, Taichung District Agricultural Improvement Station, Taiwan. 3:163-170.
75. Yusof Y.A, Salleh F.S.M, Chin N.L, Talib R. A. 2012. The drying and tabletting of pitaya powder. Journal of Food Process Engineering 35, 763-771.
76. Zhuang Y, Zhang Y, Sun L. 2012. Characteristics of fiber‐rich powder and antioxidant activity of pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) peels. International Journal of Food Science and Technology 47, 1279-1285.