Abstract
Pitaya is one of the most preferred and produced tropical fruit species recently introduced to the Mediterrranean region in Turkey. Due to its nutritional fruits with high economic value, the popularity of pitaya increases steadily in Turkey as an alternative crop. No detailed nutritional analysis has been undertaken in Turkey so far on fruits of the pitaya species. In this study, we determined and compared some nutritional parameters in fruit flesh of two pitaya (dragon fruit) species (Hylocereus polyrhizus: Siyam and Hylocereus undatus: Vietnam Jaina) grown in the Adana province located in the eastern Mediterranean region in Turkey. The individual sugars, antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, phenolic compounds and volatiles were determined for the first time in Turkey on two pitaya species. The results showed that total phenol content and antioxidant capacity are notably higher in red-fleshed fruits than white-fleshed ones and the predominant phenolic compound in fruits of both species was quercetin. The total sugar content and most of the phenolic compounds in fruits of two pitaya species were similar. A total of 51 volatile compounds were detected by using two Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME) fibers, coupled with Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques, and more volatile compounds were presented in the white-fleshed species. Total phenolic content (TPC) of the red-fleshed and white-fleshed pitaya species were 16.66 and 17.11 mg GAE/100 g FW (fresh weight). This study provides a first look at the biochemical comparison of red-fleshed and white-fleshed pitaya species introduced and cultivated in Turkey. The results also showed, for the first time, the biochemical content and the potential health benefit of Hylocereus grown in different agroecological conditions, providing important information for pitaya researchers and application perspective.
Highlights
The red-purple fleshed pitaya fruits have a higher value of Total phenolic content (TPC) than the white-fleshed ones (Table 1)
Pitaya fruit was reported to have significantly higher total phenolic content compared to the other tropical fruits [51]
The findings indicated that the red-fleshed pitaya fruits have the higher Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) (46.81%) while white-fleshed has the lower TAC (38.16%) as we compare two samples (Table 1)
Summary
The red and white fleshed pitaya fruits are a rich source of phenolic compounds, vitamins (B1, B2, B3, C, niacin, pyridoxine and cobalamin), minerals (calcium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, iron and zinc), proteins, fats, carbohydrates, sugars, fiber and volatiles [16,27,28,29] It is associated with high antioxidant capacity of bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, flavonoids and betacyanins, that have important functions for human health [12,28,30,31,32]. Especially Hu or white-fleshed pitaya fruits are attracting more attention than other fruits because of their sensory properties, economic importance, and because they are high in antioxidants that help reduce many diseases [44,45] As it is known, tropical fruits are difficult to grow outside of tropical regions. The results provide some fruit quality information for the selection of suitable pitaya species for growers in Turkey, especially the volatile compounds that will set up a reliable database for the pitaya industry
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