Passion fruit is a berry type of fruit that is borne on vines. This distinctive fruit contains numerous seeds that are encompassed by aromatic gelatinous juicy pulp. Its unique aroma is due to the numerous volatile compounds that degenerate with an increasing temperature. The passion fruit can either be yellowish or purplish in colour. The passion fruit is botanically known as Passiflora edulis and belongs to the family of Passifloraceae. This family comprises of 12 genera, more than 500 species and are mostly found in Asia, Africa and tropical America. The tree is perennial in nature and bears spherical fruits with central cavities that are filled with aromatic juicy arils or pulp. The yellow passion fruit (passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Degener) can either be a mutation of the purple one or a hybrid between the purple and another related variety of the passion fruit. The purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) is originally from the tropical part of America before spreading to other parts of the world. These two types of passion fruit are often referred to as either parchita (in Spanish), granadilla, lilikoi (in Hawaiian), parcha, or maracuja (in Portuguese). The purple passion fruit peel extract is a rich constituent of 3 main components namely: quercetin-3-O-glucoside, edulilic acid and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside while the minor ingredients include kampferol, catechin, luteolin-8- C-neohesperoside, epicatechin, prunasin, protocatechuic acid, kampferol-3-O-glucoside, quercetin and luteolin-8-C-digitoxoside. Passion fruit contains a high level of fibres and provitamin A, low fat and low protein. It exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidizing, anti-fungal, antihypertensive and anti-diabetic properties.
Benefits of Passion Fruit
Edible Purposes
Passion fruit is grown for its highly aromatic pulp, which is mostly used for making desserts, juices, drinks, smoothies and ice creams. The aromatic juice and pulp have more acidic taste and higher yield. To extract the passion fruit pulp, the rind (mesocarp and epicarp) and bagasse (fleshy aryl and seed) are first separated. The rind can also be used for producing flour for baking food products.
Reduces Cardiovascular Risk Factors In Adult Type 2 DiabeticSome researchers evaluated the impact of purple passion fruit peel extract (a flavonoid-rich dietary supplement) in lowering cardiovascular risk factors in adult type 2 diabetic patients. 41 subjects were randomly administered a daily dose of purple passion fruit (220 mg) or a matched placebo for a period of 16 weeks. Their fasting and postprandial blood glucose, body mass index, glycated haemoglobin, blood pressure and lipid profile were measured at baseline and at monthly intervals. It was observed that there was a significant reduction in the systolic blood pressure and fasting blood glucose as a result of the administered purple passion fruit. The fruit was well tolerated by the subjects and there were no side effects recorded. This shows that the consumption of the purple passion fruit for at least 16 weeks by type 2 diabetic patients can significantly reduce their fasting blood glucose and systolic blood pressure. Therefore, it is noteworthy that the purple passion fruit is well tolerated and safe for consumption by individuals suffering from diabetics.
Reduces Clinical Symptoms of Asthma
Certain researchers evaluated the ability of the purple passion fruit peel (PFP) extract on asthma symptoms. Asthma patients were examined on a one-month double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled experiment with oral administration of PFP extract (150 mg/d) or placebo pills. The impacts of PFP extract were measured by evaluating the clinical symptoms of asthma and spirometry tests. Interestingly, most of the clinical symptoms of asthma of the PFP extract-treated group were significantly controlled compared to the baseline. The prevalence of shortness of breath, cough and wheezing significantly lessened in the group treated with PFP extract. However, the placebo group showed no significant improvement. Therefore, the study concluded that the PFP extract can be safely administered to asthmatic patients as an alternative treatment option to lower the clinical symptoms.
Relieves Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Some researchers examined if the passion fruit peel extract (PFP), which is a flavonoid-rich dietary supplement can lower the symptoms of knee Osteoarthritis. 33 Osteoarthritis patients were given either placebo or PFP pills (150 mg, daily) in a double-blinded manner for 2 months. The Osteoarthritis clinical symptoms were measured on a monthly basis using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index. Patients in the PFP group showed a significant improvement in total WOMAC score and WOMAC subscale score of physical function after 30 days of experiment and pain after 60 days. The results showed that PFP significantly relieved osteoarthritis symptoms, of which this is attributed to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of this fruit.
Production of Probiotic Yoghurts
The impact of adding passion fruit peel powder (PFPP) on the fermentation kinetics and texture parameters, post-acidification and bacteria counts of probiotic yoghurts made with two milk types were examined. The experiment was conducted within 28 days of storage at 4 °C. A couple of milk types were fermented by Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (CY340), Streptococcus thermophilus and one strain of probiotic bacteria: Lactobacillus acidophilus (L10 and NCFM), Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (Bl04 and HN019). By adding PFPP, the fermentation time of skim milk co-fermented by the strains L10, NCFM and HN019 was significantly reduced. The results suggest that the passion fruit by-product is suitable for use in the production of both skim and whole probiotic yoghurts.
Antioxidant Properties
Some researchers examined the total antioxidant activity of fruit juices from vine-ripened yellow and purple passion fruit. Upon treatment of the research subjects with passion fruit peel, the serum and tissue antioxidant status of the individuals with inflammatory bowel disease improved. In another double-blinded research, the passion fruit peel significantly eased the pain, physical function, stiffness, and composite WOMAC score in osteoarthritis patients. This is believed to be partly due to the antioxidant properties of the passion fruit. The antioxidant properties of the passion fruit are largely dependent on the cultivar, parts of the fruit and the degree of ripeness.
Sanitization of Tooth Cavity
Various concentrations of passion fruit pulp extract were examined so as to assess the most effective one against Streptococcus mutans. The study was conducted to determine an inexpensive, alternative, tasteful, simple but yet effective method for sanitizing tooth cavity and root canal system. The antimicrobial efficacy of passion fruit pulp extract as irrigant and cavity disinfectant was also investigated and compared with the standard irrigant sodium hypochlorite. The results showed that the passion fruit pulp extract has a significant antimicrobial effect against S.mutans.
Sedative or Anxiolytic Properties
Passion fruit is medicinally used as a sedative or calming agent without side effects. A scientific report attests that the aqueous extract of passion fruit showed an anxiolytic-like effect without any significant impact on the motor activity. It has also been established that the antidepressant-like effect of the passion fruit is attributed to its high constituent of cycloartane triterpenoid.
Anti-fungal Properties
Studies reveal that the passion fruit seeds exhibit anti-fungal properties due to the proteins found therein. The two proteins present in the passion fruit seeds are Pf1 and Pf2. These two proteins impeded the growth of the phytopathogenic fungi in a dose-dependent way in a vitro assay.
Dermatological Care
Oil can be distilled from the passion fruit seeds, which can be used for producing cosmetics.
Animal Feed Production
The passion fruits can be fed to animals while the biomass from the rinds can be used for animal feed production.
Fertilizer
The passion fruit can be deposited on farmlands to act as fertilizer. The use of passion fruit as fertilizer is both environmentally and economically advantageous.
Passion Fruit Vineyard This post is for enlightenment purposes only and should not be used as a replacement for professional diagnostic and treatments. Remember to always consult your healthcare provider before making any health-related decisions or for counselling, guidance and treatment about a specific medical condition.
REFERENCES
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- Farid et al., (2010), Oral intake of purple passion fruit peel extract reduces pain and stiffness and improves physical function in adults with knee osteoarthritis. Nutr Res., 30:601-606.
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- Pixabay (2018), Images via https://pixabay.com/
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