Dried Dragon Fruit

History

Almost unknown until the mid-1990s, the pitaya or dragon fruit now falls fully into the category of "exotic fruit" and occupies an expanding niche within the European market and national markets of producing countries such as Vietnam, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Elsewhere it is considered as a new and promising type of fruit.

Its success can be explained in part by the quality and characteristics of the fruit (its attractive colour and shape) and in part by the favourable trade policies adopted by some producing and exporting countries (for example Vietnam, Colombia and Israel). The origins of the plant, belonging to the Cactaceae family, are unknown although it is believed to be native to Central America. The French introduced the fruit to Vietnam more than a hundred years ago, importing it, according to some reports, from Nicaragua and Colombia, and from Guyana (South America) in 1870 according to others, to use as an ornamental plant due to its large fragrant flowers.

The scientific name of the plant, Hylocereus undatus, comes from the Greek word 'hyle' (‘woody’) and from the Latin words 'cereus' (‘wax’) and 'undatus' (‘rippled’, ‘wavy’), in reference to the shape of the stem edges. The pitaya tree is also known by a number of names that vary not only from country to country, but also within individual regions, and depending on its importance, distribution and popularity. The Hylocereus is a species of climbing cactus, perennial and epiphytic (plant living on other plants, exploiting them as support without using them for nourishment) and is part of the Cactaceae, a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants belonging to the Order of the Caryophyllales. Within this family, there are 120–200 genera that group together 1,500–2,000 species found in the semi-desert and tropical regions of Latin America. This plant has received worldwide recognition, first as an ornamental plant and then as a fruit plant (indeed, almost 250 species are grown as an edible fruit for industrial use). 

In 1836 Mrs. Bingham planted a hedge of Hylocereusundatus (the cactus famous in Hawaii as panini or kapunahou) around the Punahou School in Honolulu. Its exotic flowers still bloom during the late summer months on the walls of Punahou. The hedge is located on two sides of the school and is about three hundred meters long. 

From July to October, the hedge's blossoms bloom and one can repeatedly admire a wall of white flowers hundreds of meters long. Presumably all the H. undatus plants present in Hawaii originate from the wall of the Punahou School. People usually come from all over the island to see the flowering and "borrow" some cuts, thereby propagating this species throughout the islands. 

These fruits are commonly known in English as ‘Dragon fruit’, a definition that reflects the popular Asian names by which they are known, which include the Indonesian 'buahnaga' (literally, the ‘fruit of the dragon’), the Khmer 'srorkaaneak' (‘the scales of the dragon’), the Thai 'kaeomangkon' (‘crystal dragon’) and the Chinese 'huǒlóngguǒ' (‘the fruit of the dragon fire’) and 'orlóngzhūguǒ' (‘fruit pearl of the dragon’). Other popular names are ‘strawberry pear’ or ‘nanettikafruit’. 

The name ‘pitahaya’ or ‘pitaya’ is derived, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, from the Spanish interpretation of the Haitian. 

Source: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hylocereus_undatus 

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hylocereus_undatus 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya 

Nutspaper, 2/2018 

Properties

According to our analyses, 100 g of dragon fruit contain:

• Zinc (2.0 mg - 20% of NRV)  
• Vitamin E (2.6 mg — 22% of NRV)  
• Manganese (0.46 mg — 23% of NRV)  
• Phosphorus (167 mg — 24% of NRV)  
• Iron (3.5 mg — 25% of NRV)  
• Vitamin C (21 mg — 26% of NRV)  
• Potassium (776 mg — 39% of NRV)  
• Magnesium (167 mg — 45% of NRV)  
• Vitamin K (66 µg — 88% of NRV)  
• Fibre (9.4 g) 

Dose recommendations

Each package of 500 g of dried dragon fruit contains about 16 portions of 30 g that provide 27% of the Nutrient Reference Value of Vitamin K.

Individual needs will vary according to age, gender, weight and physical activity. A varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are the basis of your well-being.

Affordable price

Affordable price means to us offering our clients dried dragon fruit with no added sugar - containing only natural sugar - that everybody can enjoy. 
We want, on the one hand, to place the proper value on raw materials in order to obtain a quality product by paying our farmers a fair price; on the other hand, we want to fulfil your needs when it comes to pricing. 

We establish fair long-term relationships with our producers to avoid race-to-the-bottom pricing and that are based on trust as part of our efforts to offer you the finest and most natural product. 

Not only that: by choosing large packs of dried dragon fruit you also are also contributing to the reduction in the use of plastic. 

Storage

You can store dried dragon fruit in cool, dry places away from heat and moisture. Here are 4 useful tips: 

• The best way to store dried dragon fruit is in a refrigerated environment. Nuturally dried dragon fruit with no added sugar - containing only natural sugar - can also be stored at room temperature during the winter season given the low temperatures. During summer, however, it is advisable to store the product in the refrigerator or in the coolest possible environment, as increased temperatures could encourage decay. 
• The ideal container for the storage of dried dragon fruit is glass. Indeed, because of its composition it is impervious to chemical agents and gases, and, as it has excellent insulation properties, it holds the initial temperature for longer than other materials. It is even better if the glass is coloured: using coloured glass blocks the entry of certain wavelengths of light (including ultraviolet), and thus certain nutritional and organoleptic characteristics remain unaltered.  
• The type of closure of the container is also important as an airtight cap ensures that the food is protected from excessive contact with oxygen, that is fundamental for aerobic bacteria. 
• The best kind of storage environment is one which is well ventilated because ventilating the premises keeps internal humidity under control, which otherwise could escape from windows, thereby guaranteeing the right balance to lessen the onset of mould.