Muhammad Sohail Mazhar’s research while affiliated with Charles Darwin University and other places

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Publications (2)


Bioactive phytochemicals isolated from dragon fruit (H. polyrhizus and H. undatus) and their health benefits.
Nutritional Value and Therapeutic Benefits of Dragon Fruit: A Comprehensive Review with Implications for Establishing Australian Industry Standards
  • Literature Review
  • Full-text available

November 2024

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88 Reads

Molecules

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Cheng-Yuan Xu

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Muhammad Sohail Mazhar

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Dragon fruit, which is native to northern South America and Mexico, has become a significant crop in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including Vietnam, China, and Australia. The fruit (Hylocereus spp.) is rich in various bioactive phytochemical compounds, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and pigments such as betalains and anthocyanins, which contribute to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial properties. This comprehensive review introduces the origin, classification, and global production of dragon fruit, with a particular focus on its bioactive phytochemicals and therapeutic potential. Additionally, it critically evaluates the current industry standards for fresh dragon fruit production across key producing countries. While these standards primarily focus on quality, classification, and grading criteria, they lack focus on parameters related to the fruit’s bioactive content. The absence of established quality standards for fresh produce in the Australian dragon fruit industry presents a unique opportunity to develop guidelines that align with both international benchmarks and the therapeutic potential of the fruit. By addressing this gap, this review can potentially help Australia to position its dragon fruit industry to achieve greater consistency, competitiveness, and consumer appeal. As the demand for functional foods continues to rise, aligning Australian production practices with global standards becomes critical to meeting domestic market expectations. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of dragon fruit’s nutritional and therapeutic significance and highlights its potential role in establishing a robust standard for the Australian dragon fruit industry. A review of global industry standards reveled that Australian standard could incorporate classifications of dragon fruits, including external factors like appearance, size, and defect tolerance. Future research is needed to prioritize understanding of the impact of cultivation practices and environmental factors on the bioactive composition of dragon fruit, enabling the development of best practices for growers. Additionally, further studies are needed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of these bioactive properties through clinical trials, particularly their potential in preventing chronic diseases. The advancement of analytical methods for quantifying bioactive compounds will provide deeper insights into their health benefits and support the establishment of bioactive-oriented industry standards. Moreover, investigations of post-harvest handling and processing techniques could optimize the preservation of these valuable compounds, enhancing dragon fruit’s role as a functional food.

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Figure 2. Color measurement process. (a) Hyperspectral image captured by hyperspectral camera; (b) Result window of PyCharm CE color determination program. The rectangular area helps in calibration using the white reference, while the circle indicates the region of interest on the dragon fruit as described in Section 2.3.1.
Figure 5. Weight loss of dragon fruit during shelf-life stored under ambient conditions. (a) Weight loss of white-flesh dragon fruit during shelf-life; (b) weight loss of red-flesh dragon fruit during shelf-life. QLDW, Queensland-grown white-flesh dragon fruit; NTW: Northern Territory-grown white-flesh dragon fruit; OverseasW, overseas-grown white-flesh dragon fruit; QLDR, Queenslandgrown red-flesh dragon fruit; OverseasR, overseas-grown red-flesh dragon fruit.
Figure 6. Changes in the total soluble solids (TSS) of dragon fruit stored under ambient conditions during its shelf-life. (a) Changes in the TSS of white-flesh dragon fruit during shelf-life; (b) changes in the TSS of red-flesh dragon fruit during shelf-life. QLDW, Queensland-grown white-flesh dragon fruit; NTW: Northern Territory-grown white-flesh dragon fruit; OverseasW, overseas-grown whiteflesh dragon fruit; QLDR, Queensland-grown red-flesh dragon fruit; OverseasR, overseas-grown red-flesh dragon fruit.
Figure 9. Phytochemical contents and antioxidant activity of Australian-grown and imported dragon fruit during shelf-life under ambient conditions. (a) Changes in TPC during shelf-life; (b) changes in TFC during shelf-life; (c) changes in FRAP during shelf-life; (d) changes in CUPRAC during shelf-life; (e) changes in TBC during shelf-life; (f) changes in TAC during shelf-life. QLDW, Queensland-grown white-flesh dragon fruit; NTW: Northern Territory-grown white-flesh dragon fruit; OverseasW, overseas-grown white-flesh dragon fruit; QLDR, Queensland-grown red-flesh dragon fruit; OverseasR, overseas-grown red-flesh dragon fruit. A,B,C,D,E Different capital letters indicate statistically significant differences across shelf-life days for the same region or variety (p < 0.05). a,b,c,d Different lowercase letters indicate statistically significant differences across regions or varieties (p < 0.05).
Temperature and humidity conditions during shelf-life evaluation.
Comparative Analysis of Shelf-Life, Antioxidant Activity, and Phytochemical Contents of Australian-Grown and Imported Dragon Fruit under Ambient Conditions

October 2024

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102 Reads

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1 Citation

Horticulturae

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Mohammad Aminul Islam

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[...]

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Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.), renowned for its aesthetic appeal and rich antioxidant content, has gained global popularity due to its numerous health benefits. In Australia, despite growing commercial interest in cultivating dragon fruit, there is uncertainty for local growers stemming from competition with imported varieties. Notably, there is a lack of comparative research on the shelf-life, antioxidant activity, and phytochemical contents of Australian-grown versus imported dragon fruit, which is crucial for enhancing market competitiveness and consumer perception. This study compares the shelf-life, antioxidant activity, and phytochemical content of Australian-grown and imported dragon fruits under ambient conditions, addressing the competitive challenges faced by local growers. Freshly harvested white-flesh (Hylocereus undatus) and red-flesh (H. polyrhizus) dragon fruit were sourced from Queensland and the Northern Territory and imported fruit were sourced from an importer in Queensland. All fruit were assessed for key quality parameters including peel color, firmness, weight loss, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), total betalain content (TBC), and total anthocyanin content (TAC). The results indicate that Australian-grown white dragon fruits exhibited average one day longer shelf-life with less color degradation, better firmness retention, and less decline in weight loss, TSS, and acidity compared to imported fruits. Australian-grown red dragon fruits showed similar shelf-life compared to fruits from overseas. Antioxidant activities and phytochemicals were consistently higher in Australian-grown fruits throughout their shelf-life. These findings indicate that Australian-grown dragon fruits offer better physical quality and retain more nutritional value, which could enhance their marketability.

Citations (1)


... However, despite being an economically important fruit with multiple uses, dragon fruit cultivation in Australia remains niche. It accounts for a relatively small portion of the nation's horticultural output, yielding around 740 tons annually from approximately 40,000 plants [4]. The market for locally grown dragon fruit is further limited by high production costs, which make it difficult for Australian growers to compete on price with cheaper imported dragon fruit from Southeast Asia. ...

Reference:

Nutritional Value and Therapeutic Benefits of Dragon Fruit: A Comprehensive Review with Implications for Establishing Australian Industry Standards
Comparative Analysis of Shelf-Life, Antioxidant Activity, and Phytochemical Contents of Australian-Grown and Imported Dragon Fruit under Ambient Conditions

Horticulturae