Dragon fruit, also known as red dragon fruit, is a triangular plant of the Cactaceae family. The fruit is oval, 10~12cm in diameter, red in appearance, with green rounded triangular protrusions, white flesh, and black seeds. fruits. In addition to red-skinned and white-fleshed varieties, cactus fruit also has red-skinned and red-fleshed varieties and red-skinned and purple-red-fleshed varieties. Dragon fruit is native to tropical forests in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. Dragon fruit is mostly cultivated in Taiwan and has a history of 17 or 18 years. It has now emerged in Hainan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian and other provinces of China. It is also cultivated sporadically in the Chaoshan area. It is one of the famous fruits in the tropics and subtropics. , the research on dragon fruit has also attracted increasing attention. The English name is pitaya or Dragon fruit.

Benefits of dragon fruit

Dragon fruit, also known as dragon fruit, is rich in nutrients, has unique functions, and has excellent effects on human health. It contains rare plant-based albumin and water-soluble betalains (betalains), rich in vitamins and water-soluble dietary fiber. Albumin is a viscous, colloidal substance that has a detoxifying effect on heavy metal poisoning. Due to the lack of attention paid to the treatment and recycling of industrial wastewater and waste, various water resources have been seriously polluted by heavy metals. In addition to direct drinking water poisoning, humans are also susceptible to poisoning after ingesting food with excessive heavy metal content. When albumin encounters heavy metal ions in the human body, it will automatically combine with the heavy metal ions and be eliminated from the body by the excretion system, playing a detoxifying role. Therefore, eating dragon fruit rich in albumin can avoid poisoning caused by the absorption of heavy metal ions. Albumin also has a protective effect on the stomach wall. Moreover, the albumin in dragon fruit flowers, fruits, and stems is very good and has excellent stability. The polymerization of these albumins constitutes the main component of cactus mucus. In addition to being rich in albumin, there is also a more special ingredient-betaine. Betanin is ubiquitous in Caryophyllales. Betanin is divided into betacyanin and betaxanthin. The pigment in the pitaya peel is betacyanin, and the pigment in the pulp of red-fleshed fruits is also betacyanin. It has antioxidant, anti-free radical, and anti-aging effects. It can also improve the prevention of brain cell degeneration and inhibit the occurrence of dementia. At the same time, dragon fruit also contains vitamin C that whitens skin and rich water-soluble dietary fiber that has the effect of losing weight, lowering blood sugar and moisturizing the intestines, and preventing colorectal cancer. Dragon fruit combines the advantages of fruits, flowers and vegetables. It is not only edible as a fruit, but also has very high nutritional value and is delicious. It has become a novel and excellent green health food. [