Dragon Fruit

SEASONAL PRODUCT POTENTIAL

DRAGON FRUIT

• Dragon Fruit, also known as Pitaya, Pitahaya, Dragon Fruit, Queen of the Night, Cactus Fruit, is the fruit of a cactus plant. This plant, which is mostly grown in countries such as Mexico, California, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Korea, has now started to be grown in our country as well as in our southern provinces such as Mersin, Adana and Antalya, and it is a plant that has adapted very well to our country with greenhouse cultivation.
• Internal Structure and Consumption:
• It has cores that can be easily separated from its shell and resemble kiwi seeds. Its taste resembles a different fruit each time, but it resembles the flavors of fruits such as peach, kiwi, pear, melon, strawberry, with a generally not very aromatic taste of dragon fruit. Factors such as where it grows, what kind of soil-fertilizer it is fed, its location and type affect its taste.
• Usage and consumption areas of Dragon Fruit (Pitaya) are generally plucked from the branch and eaten as fresh fruit, as well as consumed in salads, cakes, ice cream, baklava, iced and non-ice drinks as an extra or simply consumed. It is a great resource for the fruit juice industry and, because of its color, colorant and other color related industries.
• What are the Benefits of Dragon Fruit?:
• Dragon Fruit (Pitaya), which contains lycopene, reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases with the effect of this lycopene.
• Dragon Fruit (Pitaya) strengthens the immune system as it contains vitamin C.
• Since it lowers blood pressure, it prevents diseases such as high blood pressure and supports the healing process.
• Dragon Fruit shows strong antioxidant properties with the effect of vitamin C and protects us from some diseases by preventing free radicals from entering the body.
• Dragon Fruit (Pitaya) With its fiber, potassium and low sugar content, it is an important supporter of Type 2 diabetes and is even included in the prescriptions of doctors in Europe.
• Since there is a lot of calcium in the Dragon Fruit (Pitaya), it has positive effects on the development and health of the bones.
• Dragon Fruit, which also supports eye health thanks to its potassium content, provides many benefits to those who suffer from dry eyes.

 Nutritional Information

The daily nutritional values ​​of 100 g ripe pitaya (55 g of which can be eaten) are as follows:

• Water 80-90 g
• Carbs 9-14 g
• Protein 0.15-0.5 g
• Fat 0.1-0.6 g
• Fiber 0.3-0.9 g
• Ash 0.4-0.7 g
• Calories: 35-50
• Calcium 6–10 mg
• Iron 0.3-0.7 mg
• Phosphorus 16 – 36 mg
• Carotene (Vitamin A) traces
• Thiamine (Vitamin B1) traces
• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) traces
• Niacin (Vitamin B3) 0.2-0.45 mg
• Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) 4–25 mg