Morphological and physicochemical studies in blood fruit (Haematocarpus validus Bakh. f. ex Forman): A tropical fruit and natural colorant

Abstract

Blood fruit is a tropical liana bearing edible fruit rich in anthocyanins. The species is distributed in many Asian countries, wherein it provides livelihood and nutritional security to native dwellers. However, in many of these regions produce is harvested from the wild by employing destructive harvesting practices, thereby damaging the natural stand. Systematic studies were initiated to popularize this species as a novel crop in the humid tropical parts of the world. Present study aims at studying four collections (HV/NE/TRI, HV/MA/KAL, HV/MA/SNU and HV/MA/SND) for morphological and biochemical traits. Results revealed considerable variability for fruit and seed traits, total soluble solids and pH. Total anthocyanin content among the collections varied between 183.63 and 328.28 mg CE/ 100 g pulp. Strong positive correlation was noticed between fruit dimensions with fruit weight, while negative correlation was noticed between pulp content and peel thickness. Ratio of material: solvent for obtaining better anthocyanins recovery was optimized to 1:15 (w/v). Promising genotype (HV/MA/SND) with superior fruit size, TSS content and total anthocyanins content was identified for further exploitation.