Hylocereus Undatus Research Articles

Development and Quality Evaluation of Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus undatus) based Blended RTS Beverages

Background: Dragon fruit is considered as a fruit crop for the future, having great potential for developing value-added products as the demand for natural and healthy beverages is increasing. The present study was undertaken to standardize blended Ready To Serve beverages from dragon fruit and to evaluate the product quality during storage. Methods: Blended RTS beverages were prepared by mixing dragon fruit juice with that of three common tropical fruits viz., acid lime, pineapple and watermelon in nine different ratios, analyzed for various sensory attributes and compared with that of pure dragon fruit RTS beverage. The best blended beverage selected from each fruit was analyzed for chemical, nutritional and sensory parameters and were stored in transparent glass bottles under ambient storage conditions (27-32°C and 70-83% RH) for 60 days for assessing the shelf stability. Result: TSS, acidity, reducing and total sugars had increased with storage period and ascorbic acid, β-carotene, antioxidant activity and overall acceptability scores had decreased. All the developed blended beverages were microbiologically safe during 60 days of storage with good acceptability. Blended beverages with pineapple or watermelon were economical compared to pure beverage. The study proved that blending of fruit juices in dragon fruit juice is a viable option which could improve the quality and sensory attributes.

Exploring Squalene and Rhodoxanthin from Hylocereus undatus as a Therapeutic Agent for the Treatment of Human Liver Cancer using Docking Analysis

Introduction: The dragon fruit H. undatus contains several active phyto-compounds, which act as good antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer agents. To explore the apoptotic potential of these phyto-compounds, it would be apt to screen the interaction of these compounds with apoptotic proteins via., in silico docking studies. Method: The current study was planned to evaluate the docking interaction of selected GC-MS spectrum components from H. undatus(squalene and rhodoxanthin) with apoptotic proteins (AIF, Apaf-1, BAK, caspase 8, and RIP) by PatchDock docking algorithm. Results: The docking interaction showed that rhodoxanthin docks well with apoptotic proteins, and rhodoxanthin is recommended by the Lipinski rule as the best treatment for liver cancer. Conclusion: The application of rhodoxanthin as a potential and natural therapeutic agent to cure diseases is validated by docking results.

Effect of bee honey concentrations on the production of a canned in syrup with pitahayas fruit (Hylocereus undatus) and (Cereus ocampis)

El objetivo principal de la investigación fue evaluar el efecto de tres concentraciones de miel de abeja en la producción de una conserva en almíbar con fruta de pitahayas (Hylocereus undatus) y (Cereus ocampis). Se utilizó un Diseño Completamente al Azar con arreglo factorial AxB. Para la comparación de promedios de los tratamientos se utilizó la prueba de TUKEY al (p<0,05) de acuerdo a los resultados del ANOVA (pH y °Brix), para el análisis sensorial se aplicó una estadística no paramétrica utilizando la prueba de Kruskal Wallis y la comparación de promedios (en los casos de significancia estadísticamente) mediante el test de U Mann-Whitney. Los resultados del pH de las conserva de pitahayas indicaron que existió significancia estadística al (p< 0,05); obteniendo valores de pH en un rango de 4,55 a 4,96 y en los °Brix finales no existió significancia estadística. Se midió la estabilidad del almíbar de la miel de abeja donde el tratamiento A1B1 y A1B3 alcanzaron su estabilidad a los 28 días obteniendo 14,2 y 18,1° Brix finales. Los tratamientos A1B2, A2B1, A2B2 y A2B3 se llevaron 30 días en alcanzar la estabilidad de los sólidos solubles con resultados de 18,1, 14,7, 18,1 y 22,1°Brix. En el análisis organoléptico existió significancia al (p< 0,05) para el atributo olor y textura, y con respecto al sabor, color y apariencia fue no significativo. Los análisis microbiológicos realizados al producto de mayor aceptación tuvieron valores aceptables dentro de los parámetros que estipula la Norma INEN 1529. Se obtuvo efecto favorable con el uso de miel de abeja en el almíbar porque ayudó a mantener mejor las conservas de pitahaya gracias a sus propiedades conservantes.

Microencapsulation of betacyanin from dragon fruit peel by complex coacervation: Physicochemical characteristics, thermal stability, and release profile of microcapsules

Dragon fruit peel contains phytochemicals and natural pigment betacyanin. The crude extract was extracted from the freeze-dried dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) peel powder using ultrasonication and betacyanin was isolated by aqueous two-phase extraction. The pigment betacyanin extracted from the dragon fruit peels, was encapsulated using the complex coacervation technique. For encapsulation, four distinct carrier agents, namely maltodextrin, gum arabic, xanthan gum, and gelatin were mixed with sodium alginate to form the wall materials. The betacyanin microcapsule using gum arabic as the wall material had the highest encapsulation efficiency (92.265%), followed by maltodextrin (88.365%), xanthan gum (84.655%), and gelatin (80.526%). The hygroscopicity, swelling index, and solubility of the formulated four betacyanin microcapsules were in the range of 7.581–9.462 g/100 g, 120.155–153.545%, and 54.645–65.216%, respectively. The thermal stability of four microcapsules treated at 80 °C and pH 7 was revealed to have a half-life period of 55–110 min. The release behaviour of microcapsules in terms of betacyanin content in simulated gastric juice were fitted with Higuchi, Korsmeyer-Peppas, Weibull, and Peppas-Sahalin models. The findings support the concept that microencapsulation enables the formulation of a stable product containing functional components.

Study on preliminary screening of the triterpenoid constituents and in vitro tyrosinase inhibitory activity of dragon fruit flowers (Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britton & Rose)

The flowers of Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britton & Rose have been reported in vitro antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. This study screened preliminarily the triterpenoid constituents and evaluated in vitro tyrosinase inhibitory activity of H. undatus flowers. H. undatus flowers were harvested from Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam at four different flowering stages, and their five separated parts (stamen, pistil, petals, ovary, and sepals) were extracted with ethanol. Triterpenoids were identified in the extracts by thin-layer chromatography and Liebermann - Burchard reaction. Tyrosinase inhibitory activity was evaluated using the dopachrome method with L-tyrosine substrate and kojic acid as the positive control. Results showed that at the different flowering periods, there was the formation of different parts of the flowers. The triterpenoid compounds are the main constituents in the H. undatus flower extracts. The 70% ethanol extract from H. undatus flower at the stage of 2 - 3 days before blooming exhibited the strongest tyrosinase inhibitory activity with IC50 value of 266.4 μg/mL compared to that of 7.60 μg/mL of kojic acid. In the case of separation of flower parts, 70% ethanol extracts of each part inhibited weakly the tyrosinase enzyme. In conclusion, the present study provided information about the morphological characteristics of H. undatus flower collected from Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam. Triterpenoid was found as the main constituents of the ethanolic extracts of H. undatus flower. The 70% ethanol extract from whole H. undatus flower at the stage of 2 - 3 days before blooming exhibited strong tyrosinase inhibitory activity.

Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of red (Hylocereus polyrhizus) and white (Hylocereus undatus) dragon fruits

Dragon fruit belongs to the genus Hylocereus of the Cactaceae family. There are two species that are commonly cultivated; Hylocerues polyrhizus and Hylocereus undatus that have the same red skin but different flesh colours, red and white respectively. Although from the same genus, the phytochemical contents and bioactivities of both fruits may not be the same. This study aims to compare the phytochemical contents, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of H. polyrhizus and H. undatus to help consumers better choose nutritional fruits and to explore potential natural preservatives. The fruit samples were extracted using 50% ethanol and later were subjected to phytochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial assays. The phytochemical contents were determined using Folin Ciolcalteu and aluminium chloride methods for total phenolic and total flavonoid respectively. The antioxidant activity was determined using diphenyl-picryl hydrazine (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Disk diffusion method was performed to evaluate antibacterial activities against two food-borne pathogens, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. H. polyrhizus showed to contain significantly higher phenolic content (p<0.05), while H. undatus had significantly higher flavonoid content (p<0.05). Comparison of antioxidant activities in both fruit samples indicated higher activities were observed in H. polyrhizus and both fruit extracts showed inhibition zones against the tested bacteria with H. polyrhizus extract was able to inhibit at lower concentration. The results suggest that H. polyrhizus may have higher bioactivities compared to H. undatus due to the significantly higher phenolic content.

Application of Dragon Fruit Peel’s Mucilage in Coagulation – Flocculation Process to Remove Turbidity from Water

The study determined flocculation activity of mucilage extracted from dragon fruit peel (Hylocereus undatus) and its ability in reducing synthetic coagulant polyaluminium chloride (PAC) used in coagulation – flocculation process to remove turbidity of different types of water. Investigated waters were turbid waters made from kaolin suspension (KS), suspension of river water with hill soil (FW), and To Lich river water (TL). Turbidity removal was assessed in a sequent coagulation and flocculation model using PAC and mucilage extracted from dragon fruit peel in Jar-tests. Optimal coagulation conditions of PAC with PAC dosage of 20-50 mg/L and pH range of 6-8 regardless of water types and resulted in maximum turbidity removal of about 98%. In order to obtain a comparable turbidity removal, 50%-68% of the required PAC was reduced if mucilage was used. The presence of mucilage enhanced turbidity removal of PAC by 13-22% total efficiency. Mucilage extracted from dragon fruit peel has shown its flocculation ability and its potential as a green material in water treatment.
 
 

First report of stem rot on dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae in China

First report of stem rot on dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae in China

First Report of Schlumbergera Virus X in Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus spp.) in Spain.

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) is a high-value fruit crop, introduced about a decade ago in the mainland of Spain. In 2021, chlorotic spots were observed on young cladodes in a commercial dragon fruit orchard in the province of Seville (southern Spain). Sap extracts from 4 symptomatic cladodes were used to mechanically inoculate indicator plants: no symptoms were produced in Datura stramonium plants, but Chenopodium amaranticolor reacted with chlorotic local lesions and prickly pear plants (Opuntia ficus-indica) showed irregular yellow ringspot symptoms on young cladodes at 30 days post inoculation. Total RNA was extracted from all 4 symptomatic cladodes as previously described (Pallas et al. 1987). Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, which was carried out with M-MLV-RT and Go Taq Pol (Promega Biotech Ibérica, SL, Madrid, Spain) and tobamovirus primers (Dovas et al. 2004), failed to produce any amplicons. Electrophoretic analysis of dsRNA, extracted from symptomatic cladodes, yielded a banding pattern similar to the one reported for potexviruses (Valverde et al. 1986). Primers specific for Cactus virus X (Kim et al., 2016) failed to produce amplicons, whereas potexvirus group primers (Potex F5/Potex R2) (van der Vlugt and Berendsen 2002), amplified an expected 584-bp amplicon from RNA extracts of all 4 field-collected samples. The RT-PCR products from the four samples were Sanger-sequenced. All showed identical sequence results (GenBank Accession MZ614940) with a predicted amino acid identity of 99% with the corresponding RNA-dependent RNA polymerase amino acid sequence of Schlumbergera virus X (SchVX) (GenBank Accession No. ACD99908). SchVX-specific primers (431s, 5'-TTTGAGGAGTTCGTCAGCAAGA-3' and 431As, 5'-TCAAGAGCCCATTGAGAGAGTG-3') that were designed based on the new sequence, amplified the expected amplicon of around 430 nucleotides from the total RNA extracts of the four samples. The amplicons were Sanger-sequenced and the expected nucleotide sequence was obtained. This pair of primers were used in RT-PCR tests on subsequent surveys in 2 commercial dragon fruit greenhouses from the province of Seville, and in 1 experimental greenhouse in the province of Almeria. All samples from 25 symptomatic plants of H. undatus, H. hybridum, H. costaricensis, and H. purpusii in Seville and from 1 symptomatic H. undatus plant from Almeria tested positive for SchVX, while 15 asymptomatic plants tested negative. The results obtained in this investigation support that SchVX is present in the cladodes of dragon fruit plants expressing the symptoms. SchVX has been reported previously from H. undatus from Brasil (Duarte et al. 2008) and from prickly pear in Mexico (De La Torre-Almaráz et al. 2016), and to our knowledge, this is the first report of the virus in Spain. These findings suggest that SchVX has been introduced in dragon fruit farms from Spain and propagation of this emerging crop through planting of cuttings should include testing for this virus in order to prevent further spread.

Harvest maturity affects the quality and storage behavior of white-fleshed dragon fruit [Hylocereus undatus (Haworth) Britton and Rose

Depending on the buyer’s demand, dragon fruit is harvested at three maturity stages which may affect the quality and storability of the fruit. This study was conducted to determine the physico-chemical changes at harvest and during low-temperature storage of whitefleshed dragon fruit harvested at 31, 33, and 35 days after anthesis (DAA). The fruit was then stored at 5ºC for 5 weeks or at 13ºC for 3 weeks followed by post-storage at 20ºC. At harvest, fruit harvested at 35 DAA had the highest value of TSS/TA ratio, while 31 DAA fruit had the highest total phenolic content. Dragon fruit harvested at 33-35 DAA can be stored at 5°C for three weeks with post-storage life of 9 days at 20ºC. Fruit harvested at 31 DAA exhibited flesh translucency after three weeks at 5ºC, an indication of chilling injury. When stored at 13ºC, the fruit was of good quality for 2 weeks regardless of maturity with a shelf life of 5 days for 31 and 33 DAA and only 3 days for 35 DAA. Physico-chemical changes did not vary significantly during storage at 5ºC and 13ºC except for the marked decrease in acidity in all maturity stages. When presented to sensory panellists, preference was higher in fruit harvested at 35 DAA than at 33 and 31 DAA. All things considered, the best harvest maturity stage for prolonged storage at 5ºC is 35 DAA, while 31-33 DAA for 13ºC storage.

Effect of IBA and NAA on Rooting of Stem Cutting in Dragon Fruit [Hylocereus undatus (Haworth) Britton & Rose

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus (Haworth) Britton & Rose) is promisingly a new and exotic crop, India has great potential for its cultivation in semiarid tracts. It can be propagated either sexually or asexually by stem cuttings. The sexually propagated seedlings will take 3 or more years for bearing than that of propagated through stem cuttings. The rootings in cuttings of some species occurs without exogenous auxins treatment, but majority do not root easily. An investigation was carried out to study the effect of IBA, NAA and their combinations on rootings in stem cuttings of Dragon fruit at the Department of Horticulture, BBAU, Lucknow during the year 2019-20, in order to standardize the type and concentration of growth regulators for rooting and success rate in stem cuttings. The experiment was laid out by following randomized block design with nine treatments and three replications. The stem cuttings of Dragon fruit treated with IBA, NAA and their combinations result reveals that, length of longest root (21.33 cm), average number of roots per cutting (41.76), diameter of the root cutting (1.38 mm), fresh weight of root cutting (2.22 g) and dry weight of root cutting (0.59 g) was recorded maximum in cutting treated with IBA 4000 ppm. This was probably because of simulative actions of exogenous auxin (IBA) in the formation of new root tips in stem cuttings.

Postharvest Conservation of 'Thomson' Pitaya [Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britton and Rose] as a Function of Storage Temperature

Aims: The aim of this work was to evaluate the physico-chemical and biochemical attributes and the postharvest conservation of 'Thomson' [Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britton and Rose] under different storage temperature during storage.
 Study Design: The experimental design used was completely randomized with three treatments and four replications of four fruits/repetition.
 Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was carried out with 'Thomson' pitaya harvested in an organic orchard located in the municipality of São Miguel do Oeste, Santa Catarina, Brazil, during the 2018/2019 harvest.
 Methodology: The storage temperature treatments evaluated after postharvest were 23°C, 9°C and 4°C. The storage of the fruits was carried out in chambers with biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). The fruits were evaluated at different dates (7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days) during storage.
 Results: At 7 days of storage, the fruits stored at 23 °C showed higher values ​​of mass loss, lipid peroxidation, pulp browning and activity of peroxidase (POX) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) enzymes, as well as reductions in soluble solids contents (SS), titratable acidity (TA) and pulp firmness. At 14 and 21 days, storage at 9°C showed reductions in lipid peroxidation and pulp browning, as well as higher vitamin C contents and lighter and more intense skin color. Also, at 21 days, the fruits stored at 9°C showed higher values ​​of SS, AT and pulp firmness, and reductions in mass loss and in the activity of POX and APX enzymes.
 Conclusion: It is concluded that the storage of 'Thomson' pitayas at 23 °C provides a short postharvest period and early senescence of the fruits, while the temperature of 9 ºC increases the shelf life of the fruits and proves to be quite efficient in the conservation of the attributes of quality. The storage at 4°C is not recommended due to high internal browning, oxidative stress and loss of quality attributes.

Lipid metabolism regulated by superoxide scavenger trypsin in Hylocereus undatus through multi-omics analyses.

To analyze the mechanism of the effect of trypsin on the preservation of Hylocereus undatus, the transcriptomic and widely targeted metabolomic profiles of H. undatus after trypsin treatment were evaluated. Among 477 genes related to lipid metabolism, 32 genes had significant expression differences. GO analysis results showed that the main enriched GO functions include pectinesterase and asparagine esterase activities, and so on. The KEGG metabolic pathway with the highest enrichment rate was fatty acid elongation. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis results showed that the PPI network of lipid metabolism is a complex biological network of scale-free cells. KCS1, QRT1, and ACC1 acted as hubs to regulate a large number of other proteins and amplify the regulatory role of trypsin to achieve a preservation effect. In addition, three unsaturated fatty acids were upregulated, while eight saturated fatty acids were downregulated. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The postharvest storage of fresh fruits and vegetables brings about bottlenecks to fresh fruits and vegetables. There was also an increasing need for biopreservation techniques. Trypsin could significantly enhance the antioxidant capacity of fruits and vegetables, as a preserver for the storage of fruits and vegetables, which was convenient to operate and more economical. The regulation mechanism of trypsin on lipid metabolism in fruits and vegetables during storage of H. undatus is studied in this paper. The application of trypsin would provide a new strategy for quality control of fruit and vegetable storage.

Physical properties and prebiotic activity of white dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) powders produced using different wall materials

The aim of the present work was to investigate the spray-dried characteristics such as physical properties, morphologies, glass transition temperatures (Tg), and prebiotic activity of white dragon fruit (WDF) powders produced using different wall materials, namely resistant maltodextrin (RMD) and maltodextrin (MD), at optimum spray drying conditions. Results showed that RMD decreased water activity and moisture content, and increased bulk density and true density of powder more than MD. In addition, the particle size of RMD-coated powder (WRMD) was smaller than that of MD-coated powder (WMD), and the morphology of the WRMD powder showed that it had a smooth surface as compared to WMD powder, where shrinkage and dent surfaces were observed. The Tg of WMD powder had higher value, but both types of powders were not significantly (p > 0.05) different. Then, both powders were further investigated for their ability to support the growth of Bifidobacterium longum BB536 and Lactobacillus casei Shirota. The growth of the anaerobic bacteria was determined every 6 h for 24 h at 37°C in six modified MRS media containing glucose, RMD, MD, WRMD powder, WMD powder, and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) as the substrates. Results indicated that all substrates significantly (p < 0.05) increased the growth of the probiotic bacteria, with WRMD powder yielding the highest bacterial count. Based on the findings, WRMD powder can be considerably used as a new prebiotic source for the functional food industry.

Comparison of Classification for Grading Red Dragon Fruit (<i>Hylocereus Costaricensis</i>)

Pitaya is another name for dragon fruit which is currently a popular fruit, especially in Indonesia. One of the problems related to determining the quality of dragon fruit is the postharvest sorting and grading process. In general, farmers determine the grading system by measuring the weight or just looking at the size of the fruit, of course, this raises differences in grading perceptions so that it is not by SNI. This research is a development of previous research, but we changed the type of dragon fruit from white dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) to red dragon fruit (Hylocereus costaricensis). We also adapted the image processing and classification methods in previous studies and then compared them with other classification methods. The number of images in the training data is 216, and the number of images in the testing data is 75. The comparison of the accuracy of the three classification methods is 84% for the KNN method, 85.33% for the Naive Bayes method, and 86.67% for the Backpropagation method. So that the backpropagation method is the best classification method in classifying the quality grading of red dragon fruit. The network architecture used is 4, 8, 3 with a learning rate of 0.3 so that the training accuracy is 98.61% and the testing accuracy is 86.67%.

Neuroprotective and antioxidant effects of pitaya fruit on Cu‐induced stress in adult zebrafish

The harmful effects of heavy metals on organisms have not been fully described. At present, there is a close relationship between neurodegenerative diseases and copper toxicity. In addition, the copper effect on the central nervous system is followed by high levels of free radicals in different body tissues. An increase in free radical levels leads to aging-related diseases, resulting in the appearance of senile comorbidities. An increase in the consumption of natural compounds that could help to reduce this dangerous effect on organisms was observed. Pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) is a tropical fruit with great antioxidant potential and can help the organism with oxidative damage. This study evaluated the effect of H. undatus on zebrafish organisms in front of copper-induced toxicity. Therefore, the behavior, cholinergic system, antioxidant enzymes, and ALAD activity were evaluated as biomarkers. Our results highlight the great potential of Pitaya's pulp to reduce the levels of anxiety and aggressivity in fish and reduce cortisol levels. It could mediate the normal response of the cholinergic nervous system, antioxidant enzymes, and ALAD activity. Therefore, our data suggest that pitaya might improve the senile aging. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The potential practical application of this study is related to the neuroprotective effect of the Hylocereus undatus microencapsulated pulp extract against metal-induced impairments. The results have shown that this extract is able to reduce the copper-induced damage modulating the antioxidant system and the cholinergic nervous system. One of the implicated potentials of use for this extract is the food supplementation to its fortification.

Eucalyptus shading and allelopathy in the germination and development of pitaya (Hylocereusundatus)

Eucalyptus spp. it is known to be part of most forests planted for commercial use in Brazil, however when intercropped with Pitaia (Hylocereus undatus), few studies report this interaction. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of shading and the existence of allelopathic interaction between Eucalyptus spp and pitaia (H. undatus) in the field, as well as the action of eucalyptus leaf extract in the germination of pitaia seeds in laboratory conditions. In the field experiment, the statistical model of randomized block design (DBC) was used, with the use of adult plants of pitaia and eucalyptus, evaluating the following variables: number of shoots in the aerial part; number of flowers; crown diameter; circumference of the cladode; number of fruits and the variation in the amount of light reaching the plants. It was observed that the plants that were outside the eucalyptus forest showed better results. In the second experiment, the allelopathic action of different concentrations of aqueous extracts of eucalyptus leaves on the germination of pitaia seeds was evaluated. This experiment was carried out in DIC with four repetitions of 60 pitaia seeds. These seeds were then subjected to treatments with different dilutions, varying from 0% (control), 12.5%, 25% and 50% of the stock solution. It was observed that as the leaf extract concentrations increased, germination decreased. The concentrations of 0% (control) and 12.5% ​​showed better results. In conclusion, in fact, eucalyptus exerted an allelopathic action on pitaia plants.

Effect of FeCl3 Catalyst on Chemical Properties of Hydrochar Produced by Hydrothermal Carbonization of Dragon Fruit Stem (Hylocereus undatus)

Effect of FeCl3 Catalyst on Chemical Properties of Hydrochar Produced by Hydrothermal Carbonization of Dragon Fruit Stem (Hylocereus undatus)

Metabolic Profiling of Sugars and Organic Acids, and Expression Analyses of Metabolism-Associated Genes in Two Yellow-Peel Pitaya Species.

Sugar and organic acids are important factors determining pitaya fruit quality. However, changes in sugars and acids, and expressions of metabolism-associated genes during fruit maturation of yellow-peel pitayas are not well-documented. In this study, metabolic and expression analyses in pulps of different fruit developmental stages of ‘Wucihuanglong’ (‘WCHL’, Hylocereus undatus) and ‘Youcihuanglong’ pitaya (‘YCHL’, Hylocereus megalanthus) were used to explore the sugar and organic acid metabolic process. Total phenols and flavonoids were mainly accumulated at S1 in pitaya pulps. Ascorbic acid contents of ‘WCHL’ pitaya were higher than that of ‘YCHL’ pitaya during fruit maturation. Starch was mainly accumulated at early fruit development stages while soluble sugars were rich in late stages. Sucrose, fructose, and glucose were the main sugar components of ‘YCHL’ pitaya while glucose was dominant in ‘WCHL’ pitaya. Malic and citric acids were the main organic acids in ‘WCHL’ and ‘YCHL’ pitayas, respectively. Based on the transcriptome analyses, 118 genes involved in pitaya sugar and organic acid metabolism were obtained. Results from the correlation analyses between the expression profiling of candidate genes and the contents of sugar and organic acid showed that 51 genes had a significant correlation relationship and probably perform key role in pitaya sugar and organic acid metabolism processes. The finding of the present study provides new information for quality regulation of pitayas.

In vitro anticancer activity of silver nanoparticles phyto-fabricated by Hylocereus undatus peel extracts on human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines

Every year, millions of people die from cancer, and most anticancer medications have a low specificity of action and significant toxicity, resulting in severe side effects. As a result, the discovery of effective anticancer drugs is a top priority. Hence, the focal point of this research is to synthesize the dragon fruit peel aqueous extract fabricated silver nanoparticles (DFPAE-AgNPs) in a facile and green chemistry approach as a new-fangled anticancer agent. The selected primary phytochemicals are qualitatively screened for their presence in dragon fruit peel aqueous extract utilized for the fabrication of AgNPs. The analytical results revealed that DFPAE-AgNPs were crystalline, spherical in shape in the size range of 10–50 nm, and composed of 73.90% weight of a silver element. The IC50 value of the DFPAE-AgNPs is evaluated as 37.98 ± 0.21 µg mL−1 with a HepG2 cell line. Acridine orange- ethidium bromide (AO-EtBr) staining and nuclear acid staining assays demonstrated the dose-dependent (10–50 µg mL−1) apoptotic increase phenomenon of the DFPAE-AgNPs in the HepG2 cell line at 24 h. The current study suggested DFPAE as a vital, reliable, and active phytoconstituents for the fabrication of AgNPs with anticancer potentials in a rapid and eco-friendly way. Further meticulous investigation on the DFPAE-AgNPs behavioral nature is recommended to make use of these as alternatives to synthetic drugs in wider anticancer applications.