ABSTRACT
Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.), commonly known as the pitaya/pitahaya/strawberry pear, is a tropical fruit native to Mexico and Central and South America [1] and widely grown in Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Thailand. It has a unique vine-like outer scale, therefore it is named the “dragon” fruit. It is a member of the Cactaceae (cactus) family and order of Caryophyllales [2]. Two varieties of dragon fruit that are commonly consumed in Malaysia are Hylocereus polyrhizus (pink-skin and red-esh dragon fruit) and H. undatus (pink-skin and white-esh dragon fruit) (Figure 19.1). The pulp is juicy, has a mild taste, and is low in calories and contains numerous tiny black seeds. The fruit weights 150-600 g and is commonly consumed as a cut fruit or juice or added into salads. More specically, red-esh dragon fruit puree or juice is used in making jelly because of its attractive red color and the tiny seeds that improve the overall exotic esthetic value of dragon fruit jelly. Red-esh dragon fruit juice is increasingly popular in restaurants and specic health food stores in Malaysia. A recent study showed the prebiotic properties of the juice for both red-esh and white-esh dragon fruits [3]. This chapter highlights the bioactives and antioxidant efcacy of dragon fruit juices and the novel products derived from them.
