Exploring the Physicochemical Properties and Nutritional Value of Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) for Functional Food Development

This study aimed to evaluate the physico-chemical composition, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of selected red-pulp dragon fruit cultivar grown in the Bengaluru region of Karnataka. The fruits for the present study were pulped and analysed for various parameters. The results of this experiment showed that the average weight of dragon fruit was 364.11 ± 12.19 grams with specific gravity of 1.06. Upon processing it yielded 66.99 per cent pulp and 33.01 per cent peel with a pulp to peel ratio of 2.32 ± 1.74. The fruit surface (peel) had a lightness value ( L *) of 29.6 ± 0.98 and redness value of 17.05. The pulp had lesser lightness value (14.3) compared to the peel, but had deeper redness value (42.06 ± 1.21) and blueness value (-2.14) on Hunter L *, a * and b * scale. The fruit pulp had a moisture content of 87.03 ± 0.164 per cent and TSS of 11.87 ± 0.09. The fruit pulp was found with low acidity (pH of 5.12 ± 0.02) and titratable acidity (0.4%). The pulp had total sugars of 6.40 ± 0.05 per cent, protein of 0.1 per cent and fat 0.48 per cent. The total phenol and flavonoid content of the pulp were 90.48 ± 0.45 mg GAE/100g and 76.25 ± 0.42 mg CE/100g respectively contributing to total antioxidant activity of 38.13 ± 0.29 mg AEAC/100g and radical scavenging activity (RSA %) of 69.42 ± 0.22 per cent. The dragon fruit cultivar evaluated under present investigation exhibited higher levels of nutrients and bioactive compounds, making them a promising candidate for functional food development. These properties highlight their potential for diverse applications in food and pharmaceutical product formulation and development.