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Durian (Durio zibethinus L.)
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Figure 1: Durian fruit
With “a powerful odor reminiscent of
decayed onions, Limburger cheese and
sherry wine… [a] texture like a smooth,
creamy custard and…a rich, sweet,
faintly almond flavor,” is it any wonder
that in Southeast Asia the Durian is the
"King of Fruit" (2)?
Origin: The durian tree is believed to
have originated in the Borneo and
Sumantra (1). It is also grown in South
Tenasserim, Lower Burma, Malaya,
southeastern India, and from Ceylon to
New Guinea, with the countries of
greatest amount of production being
Thailand and South Vietnam (1).
Attempts to grow durian in the Americas
have not been particularly successful, so
they are not very common in these areas
(1). In 1959 The Association of Durian
Growers and Sellers was established in
order to regulate the quality and sales of
durian fruits (1).
Growing conditions: Durian plants
grow in lowland rainforests, (2) in areas
receiving large amounts of rainfall. They
do particularly well in areas where their
roots can reach water, for instance along
stream banks (1). Deep soils, either
alluvial or loamy, suit durians best (1).
The fruits sprout directly from the tree’s
trunk and main branches (2). The durian
fruiting season can vary greatly
depending on the climate, but once the
short harvesting season, which lasts only
6-8 weeks, begins, the fruits are
abundant (1). In fact in many areas,
villagers will construct huts and camp in
the durian plantations. Farmers must
retrieve each durian immediately
because the fruits are extremely
perishable (1). They reach their peak
maturity two to four days after falling
and then begin to degrade (1).
Yield: For a durian plant, the period
from fruit set to harvest lasts between
3.5 and 4.5 months. One tree can
produce 40 to 50 fruits per year, each
weighing as much as 18 lbs. (2) which
equates to about 6,000 lbs. of fruit per
acre per year (1). Durian trees can live at
least 150 years (2).
Figure 2: Durian Tree
The Dawn Bat, (Eonycteris spelea), is
one of the most important pollinators; it
is attracted to the plant by the flowers’
strong smell (2).
Pests and Diseases: Durian plants are
mildly susceptible to attack by the white
mealybug (Pseudococcus lilacinus) and
the giant mealybug (Drosicha
townsendi). One of the few diseases
afflicting durians is patch canker, which
results from Phytophthora palmivor (1).
The infection is detected as a brownishred ooze covering the trunk and roots of
a seedling (1).
Consumption: The fleshy portion of the
durian fruit is most commonly eaten
fresh, but it is also sometimes boiled
with sugar or coconut water or made into
a paste (1). As an export product, the
flesh is sometimes canned in syrup or
dried (1). When the shoots and leaves
are young they may be cooked and eaten
as greens; likewise, boiled, unripe fruits
can be eaten as a vegetable (1). The
seeds can be roasted, fried, boiled, or
just dried and eaten (1). It may be
advisable to monitor one’s seed
consumption because the seeds have
been known to cause shortness of breath
(1) The rind of the fruit is sometimes
burned and used as a dessert spice (1).
Durian flesh nutritional facts:
Serving Size:
100 gram
Calories
147
Total Fat
5g (30%)
Total
27 g (67%)
Carbohydrates
Dietary Fiber
4g
Protein
1 g (3%)
Vitamin C
33%
Thiamin
25%
Riboflavin
12%
Vitamin B6
16%
Potassium
12%
Manganese
16
Other uses: Nearly all parts of the
durian tree have auxiliary uses. As a
technique for flavoring, meats are
sometimes hung over burning rinds (1).
The rinds can also be burned for fuel,
and the ash works as bleach for silks (1).
Durian wood is soft and coarse; it is not
termite resistant or durable, but it is
sometimes used in hut interiors (1).
Durian flavored toothpaste is also
available in some areas (1).
Medicinal Properties: Durians have
been used to cure many aliments. For
instance, the flesh may be eaten to expel
intestinal parasites (1). The leaves and
roots can be ingested to lower a fever (1)
Application of leaf juice to one’s head
may reduce a fever, and bathing in the
juice is believed to aid in curing jaundice
(1). Topical application of the fruit may
also alleviate swelling and other skin
conditions (1).
World Durian Production and Marketing Situation
Country
Acres in
production
Thailand
Malaysia
338,000
,00,000400
160,000
Indonesia
Consumption
(tones/ yr)
Hong Kong
Taiwan
Singapore
China
5,000 –
10,000
36,000
25,000
20,00025,000
Production
(tones/yr)
> 900,000
400,000
200,000
Import from
Thailand
(%)
90
most
20
most
Export/
Import
(tones/yr)
78,500
Few/ few
from
Thailand
in offseason
Import
from
Malaysia
(%)
10
80
References:
1. Morton, J. 1987. Durian. p. 287–291.
In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F.
Morton, Miami, FL.
2. E. Benders-Hyde, 2002,
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/durian
.htm.
Durian Research Papers
1.
Scientists explored the nutritional compounds present in durian flesh (Durio
zibethinus Murr.) and compared them with those of snake fruit (Salacca edulis Reinw)
and mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana). The researchers found that durians possessed a
high amount of dietary fiber than the other fruits. Likewise, the concentrations of
vitamins Na, K, and Ca, and the minerals iron and copper were also higher in the durian
fruit flesh. Not only did durian fruit also contain the highest amount of total and free
polyphenols and flavinoids and posses the greatest antioxidant activity level overall, but
also it was the most important phenolic acids that had the greatest antioxidant activity
durian.
The scientists conducted an experiment in which they assigned rats to one of 5
groups. Group A rats were the control group and were fed a plain basal diet; the diets of
the Group B rats was comprised of the basal diet with a 1% cholesterol addition, and
Groups C, D and E consumed a diet comprised of the basal diet, the 1% cholesterol
addition and a 5% addition of one of the fruits. The rats eating the durian supplemented
diet experienced a significantly lesser increase in plasmid lipids during the course of the
experiment. The antioxidant activity decreased less in the rats receiving the durian
supplemented diet, indicating durians have a greater level of bioactivity than both
mangosteen and snake fruit.
These results led the scientists to suggest that durian fruit be included in a diet
aimed at disease prevention.
Reference:
Ratiporn Haruenkit, Sumitra Poovarodom, Hanna Leontowicz, Maria Leontowicz,
Mietek Sajewicz, Teresa Kowalska, Efren Delgado-Licon, Nuria E. Rocha-Guzm n,
José-Alberto Gallegos-Infante, Simon Trakhtenberg, and Shela Gorinstein. Comparative
Study of Health Properties and Nutritional Value of Durian, Mangosteen, and Snake
Fruit: Experiments In vitro and In vivo. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
2007, 55, 5842-5849
2.
Researchers investigated what animals eat and disperse the seeds of two different
durian species in Sabah Malaysia. The two species they investigated were Durio
graveolens and Durio zibethinus. Orangutans eat both species and that D. graveolens is
dispersed by black hornbills while D. zibethinus is dispersed by long tail marquees.
The researchers felt that this topic needed to be explored because it is believed
that trees that produce large seeds, for instance durian plants, rely greatly on large
frugivores to disperse these seeds. Many of these large dispersers are disappearing from
the wild and scientists are interested in how this will affect the tree species.
Although the seeds of both types of fruit are encapsulated in a fleshy aril, and then
encapsulated in a tough, spiky outer shell, the fruits differ markedly. The outer shell of D.
graveolens is orange, spherical, and opens while the fruit is still attached to the tree. The
seeds of this species are smaller and are covered by an odorless, red aril. In contrast, the
larger, green fruits of D. zibethinus are more egg-shaped and do not open until the fruit
has fallen. The seeds of this fruit are roughly the same size, but they are covered by a
white aril that is both odiferous and sweet.
More fruits were eaten by Orangutans than by any other species. These consumers picked
the fruit before it was ripe and they destroyed the seeds, so scientists have identified them
as the most influential durian seeds predator. Although other studies have suggested that
they also disperse the seeds, this function was not confirmed by this study. Once the
fruits of D. graveolens were mature, they were eaten by arboreal animals such as
Prevost’s squirrels (Callosciurus prevostii), black hornbills (Anthracoceros malayanus),
civets (Viverridae), and long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis). Based on
observations of feeding habits can identify only black hornbills as definite seed dispersers
and not seed predators. Because they were allowed to fall to the ground first, D.
zibethinus fruits were primarily eaten by terrestrial animals. Sun bears (H. malayanus)
were classified as neutral consumers because they did not chew the seeds but they did not
transport them either. The only seed disperser identified for D. zibethinus was the longtailed marquee, which was observed transporting the seed as far as 18m from crown of
the tree that produced the seed. Scientists believe that Asian elephants (E. maximus
Borneensis) may also be a seed disperser for this species.
Based on these results, the researchers predict that the high predation pressure that
orangutans and other frugivores exert on both species of Durio may lead to future
problems with seed dispersal.
Reference:
Yoshihiro Nakashima, Peter Lagan, Kanehiro Kitayama. A Study of Fruit-Frugivore
Interactions in Two Species of Durian (Durio, Bombacaceae) in Sabah, Malaysia
Biotropica (OnlineEarly Articles).
doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2007.00335.x