Purple-fleshed dragon fruit is gaining popularity worldwide due to its distinctive characteristics and health benefits. This climbing cactus, introduced to humid tropical climates, presents challenges in assessing fruit quality. The dynamic transformations in fruit color, bioactive compounds, and textural attributes across 11 developmental stages from 10 to 32 days after flowering under humid tropical conditions were studied. Color analysis revealed significant intensification of red-violet hues, with L* values decreasing by 14.74% and a* values increasing from −8.14 to 32.96. The color transformation is initiated in the pulp at 25 days and the peel at 27 days after flowering. Betalain synthesis commenced after 20 days with rapid accumulation between 25 and 32 days, correlating with color development. Antioxidant activity increased from 79.38% at 10 days to 86.76% at 20 days, followed by a steady decline. Phenolic content peaked at 121.40 mg gallic acid equivalent per 100 g at 25 days before declining, while the flavonoid content decreased with the advancement of fruit development. Concurrent reduction in peel thickness and fruit firmness was also observed. These findings show that purple-fleshed dragon fruit can adapt well to humid tropical conditions, with a 32-day developmental cycle, offering vital insights into quality and maturation phases.

Background: Anthocyanin is a natural pigment with potential application in the textile, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.), the ‘Queen of fruits’ is famous for its nutritious edible aril. The mangosteen pericarp is rich in anthocyanin and can be utilized as a natural colorant with health benefits. There is a need to standardize easier methods for the efficient extraction of anthocyanin from mangosteen pericarp so that it can be effectively utilized in food industry. Materials: The pericarp of ripe mangosteen fruits were dried, pulverized and the anthocyanin was extracted by hot maceration with distilled water (aqueous extraction) and ethanol as solvents, acidified at different levels with citric acid (0.1% and 0.2%) and acetic acid (1% and 2%). The anthocyanin yield, total phenol, flavonoid, antioxidant activity and colour values of the concentrated extracts were determined. Result: Acidification of the solvent medium increased the extraction efficiency of anthocyanin pigment from mangosteen pericarp. The hot maceration with 50% ethanol acidified at 2% acetic acid contributed the highest yield for anthocyanin, total phenols and flavonoids with 82.68% antioxidant activity and exhibited good colour values. This anthocyanin pigment can be utilized as a safe natural colorant for the development of functional foods.

Moringa is customarily cultivated in the Indian house backyards due to its richness in medicinal, nutritional, environmental and fodder value. The perennial trees, maintained with biannual pruning, are photo-insensitive and flower year-round regardless of light or temperature variations. From a human diet perspective, tender leaves are consumed as green leafy vegetables due to their high nutrient value and are also known to cure various human diseases. Pods are widely used in various culinary recipes. Environmentally, moringa can remove wastewater-based pollutants, making it ideal for areas lacking proper drainage systems by cleaning soil soaked in household wastewater. On small-scale farms, where livestock are raised based on the availability of crop residues or excess vegetation from non-arable lands or soils of poor fertility, moringa provides nutrient-rich foliage for animal feed. Incorporating moringa foliage and its byproduct into animal diet improves animal health and reduces the calving gap in dairy animals. Moringa also can impart plant resistance to various abiotic stresses and control plant diseases in an eco-friendly way. The antimicrobial (antifungal and antibacterial) properties of moringa are numerous and deserve noteworthy mention. This manuscript aims to provide comprehensive information on moringa utilities, promote further scientific research to explore its potential as a nutritionally rich food and feed, phytoremediation and pharmaceutical applications and provide sustainable environmental solutions to enhance agricultural productivity and combat malnutrition effectively.

Osmodehydration process for G. gummi-gutta (Malabar tamarind) fruit was optimized for the osmotic variables viz., osmotic solution concentration and immersion time. The fruit slices of 2 cm³ size were osmosed in two different concentrations of sucrose (50° Brix and 70° Brix) for 24, 36 and 48 hr immersion time. The effect of osmodehydration on mass transfer characters, biochemical and sensory parameters of the fruits were studied. The results showed that mass transfer characters were increased with osmotic concentration and immersion time. The osmotic pre-treatment of G. gummi-gutta with 70° Brix sucrose for 48 hr recorded superior quality dehydrated fruits in terms of biochemical and sensory parameters with consumer acceptability. The osmodehydrated fruits exhibited a storage stability of three months with better retention of nutritional and sensory qualities.

Garcinia gummi-gutta, commonly known as Malabar Tamarind, is a fruit crop of significant economic value, extensively grown in the southern regions of the Western Ghats. The economically valuable part is the fruit peel or rind, which is used as a seasoning in its dried form, imparting a distinct flavour and taste to food preparations. During processing of the rind, the edible aril, a whitish pulp attached to the seed, is discarded. The aril of G. gummi-gutta fruits has a unique flavour with a sweet-acidic blend. Biochemical profiling of the aril is essential for developing food products with enhanced nutritional benefits. The present study reports the quantification of its biochemical components. Identification and quantification of various sugars and acids were performed using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry. Fructose (47.44 mg/g) emerged as the predominant sugar, while Hydroxy Citric Acid (522.99 mg/g) was identified as the principal organic acid. Biochemical profiling of the aril revealed its potential for functional food development. The aril contained significant amounts of Hydroxy Citric Acid (2.64 %), known for anti-obesity properties, along with calcium (756.67 ppm), potassium 649.52 ppm, phenols 382.25 mg GAE/g , flavonoids 6.58 mg QE/g, and exhibited 87.32 % antioxidant activity. Ready-to-serve blended fruit beverages were developed using the pulp of G. gummi-gutta aril combined with pomegranate, watermelon or dragon fruit juice. Sensory analysis indicates higher consumer acceptance and enhanced nutritional qualities. The utilisation of G. gummi-gutta byproducts can contribute to food product diversification, providing innovative options for novel products with enhanced taste and health benefits.