Mymensingh, Бангладеш
Mymensingh, Бангладеш
Mymensingh, Бангладеш
Gopalganj, Бангладеш
Gopalganj, Бангладеш
Gopalganj, Бангладеш
Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) peel is a waste product rich in bioactive components. This study developed and evaluated three experimental formulations of functional dragon peel squash with different acidulants, nutritional values, and sensory profiles. The acidulants were amla juice, citric acid, and lemon juice. The experimental samples were compared with the control sample and analyzed using standard methods, which included the proximate analysis, the Folin-Ciocalteu assay for phenolics, the DPPH assay for antioxidant activity, and a nine-point hedonic scale for sensory evaluation. The color degradation was evaluated over three successive one-week storage intervals. The proximate composition (wet basis) showed that the peel consisted of 92.81% moisture, 1.49% ash, 0.528% protein, 0.20% fat, and 4.9% carbohydrates. The squash showed 40–47°Brix of total soluble solids, pH 2.32–4.83, 0.18–1.5% titratable acidity, and ≤ 108 mg/100 mL ascorbic acid. The sample with amla juice possessed the highest phenolic content (5.20 mg GAE/100 g) and the control has highest antioxidant level (IC50 = 0.725 mg/mL), as well as the lowest microbial load (1.3×10³ CFU/mL) after three weeks of storage. As for the sensory assessment, the amla juice sample was preferred for color and aroma, while the sample with lemon juice received a higher score for taste. The ANOVA test (df = 2.4) showed a stable L* over 21 days, whereas the b* values tended to increase in all four formulations, and the a* value increased in the sample with lemon juice (p < 0.05). The significant change in b* indicated poor storage stability, which is to be improved by reformulation with color stabilizers. In this research, dragon fruit peel was converted into a nutritious and organoleptically attractive squash. This functional beverage offers a sustainable strategy for valorizing agricultural waste.
Squash, dragon fruit peel, pitaya, total polyphenol content, DPPH, sensory quality, storage stability
1. Arivalagan M, Karunakaran G, Roy TK, Dinsha M, Sindhu BC, et al. Biochemical and nutritional characterization of dragon fruit (Hylocereus species). Food Chemistry. 2021;353:129426. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.FOODCHEM.2021.129426
2. Jalgaonkar K, Mahawar MK, Bibwe B, Kannaujia P. Postharvest profile, processing and waste utilization of dragon fruit (Hylocereus Spp.): A review. Food Reviews International. 2022;38(4):733–759. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2020.1742152
3. Tel-Zur N. Breeding an underutilized fruit crop: A long-term program for Hylocereus. Horticulture Research. 2022;9:uhac078. https://doi.org/10.1093/HR/UHAC078
4. Hernawati, Setiawan NA, Shintawati R, Priyandoko D. The role of red dragon fruit peel (Hylocereus polyrhizus) to improvement blood lipid levels of hyperlipidaemia male mice. Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 2018;1013:012167. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1013/1/012167
5. Nirmal NP, Khanashyam AP, Mundanat AS, Shah K, Babu KS, et al. Valorization of fruit waste for bioactive compounds and their applications in the food industry. Foods. 2023;12(3):556. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12030556
6. Pérez-Marroquín XA, Estrada-Fernández AG, García-Ceja A, Aguirre-Álvarez G, León-López A. Agro-food waste as an ingredient in functional beverage processing: Sources, functionality, market and regulation. Foods. 2023;12(8):1583. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12081583
7. Asan-Ozusaglam M, Celik I. Formulating edible films with red pitahaya extract and probiotic. Foods and Raw Materials. 2025;13(1):144–154. https://doi.org/10.21603/2308-4057-2025-1-631
8. Chumroenvidhayakul S, Thilavech T, Abeywardena M, Adisakwattana S. Dragon fruit peel waste (Hylocereus undatus) as a potential ingredient for reducing lipid peroxidation, dietary advanced glycation end products, and starch digestibility in cookies. Antioxidants. 2023;12(5):1002. https://doi.org/10.3390/ANTIOX12051002
9. Septiansyah MR, Wijirahayu S, Zharifa P, Barickly LRH, Agatha C, et al. An antioxidant potential and cholesterol-lowering effects of dragon fruit peel. Proceeding of Forum for University Scholars in Interdisciplinary Opportunities and Networking 2024;1(1):273–281.
10. Panjaitan RGP, Novitasari. Anti-diabetic activity of the red dragon fruit peel (Hylocereus polyrhizus) in ethanol extract against diabetic rats. Pharmacognosy Journal. 2021;13(5):1079–1085. https://doi.org/10.5530/pj.2021.13.140
11. Padmavathy K, Sivakumari K, Karthika S, Rajesh S, Ashok K. Phytochemical profiling and anticancer activity of dragon fruit Hylocereus undatus extracts against human hepatocellular carcinoma cancer (hepg-2) cells. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research. 2021;12(5):2770–2778. https://doi.org/10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.12(5).2770-78
12. Dasgupta R, Chakraborty C, Kakali B, Ganguly S. Development and characterization of biocolor (Brassica oleracea var. capitata F. rubra) fortified lime squash. The Pharma Innovation Journal. 2019;8(1):42–47.
13. Uddin MN, Wahab S, Muhammad A, Bilal H, Din MU, et al. Development and quality evaluation of mango and guava blended squash during storage. Pure and Applied Biology. 2019;8(2):1182–1190. http://doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2019.80060
14. Awais M, Sajid A, Muhammad A, Wisal S, Shabbir H, et al. Physicochemical and sensory evaluation of mango squash utilizing chemical preservatives during storage. Indus Journal of Bioscience Research. 2025;3(5):1–8. https://doi.org/10.70749/ijbr.v3i5.683
15. Ranganna S. Handbook of analysis and quality control for fruit and vegetable products. Noida; Tata McGraw-Hill; 1986, 1112 p.
16. Pearson D. The chemical analysis of foods. 7th ed. London: Churchill Livingstone; 1976, 575 p.
17. Zahan I, Khan MM, Rana MS, Sahabuddin M, Rasik MR, et al. Effect of selective preservatives on shelf-life of guava juice extracted using pectinase enzyme. Heliyon. 2024;10(18):e37596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37596
18. Nitisuk P, Wanyo P, Chamsai T, Charoenjit K. Sustainable valorization of tropical fruit peels for sustainable production of natural antioxidants and functional food ingredients. Sustainable Food Technology. 2025;3(4):1189–1202. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4FB00371C
19. Hasan MM, Khan MM, Jony ME, Akter F, Alim MA. Studies on the preparation and shelf life of aloe vera juice. Asian Food Science Journal. 2023;22(9):64–73. https://doi.org/10.9734/afsj/2023/v22i9658
20. Khan M, Rana S, Rana J, Jony E, Arifin MS, et al. Effects of coconut flour and milk powder supple-mentation on the physicochemical properties of peanut butter. Food Processing: Techniques and Technology. 2024;54(4):701–710. https://doi.org/10.21603/2074-9414-2024-4-2537
21. Lovetskiy KP, Sevastianov LA, Nikolaev NE. Numerical modeling of color perception of optical radiation. Mathematical Modelling and Geometry. 2018;6(1):21–36. https://doi.org/10.26456/mmg/2018-612
22. Nur MA, Uddin MR, Uddin MJ, Satter MA, Amin MZ. Physiochemical and nutritional analysis of the two species of dragon fruits (Hylocereus sp.) cultivated in Bangladesh. South African Journal of Botany 2023;155:103–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SAJB.2023.02.006
23. Alam M, Biswas M, Ahmed J, Hosain MA, Alam A, et al. Physico-chemical properties, antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds in edible and non-edible portions of dragon fruit cultivars native to Bangladesh. Food Research. 2023;7(4):194–203. https://doi.org/10.26656/FR.2017.7(4).243
24. Qalbi R, Giovani S, Guo Q, Adelina NM. Effect of drying time on physicochemical characteristics of dragon fruit peels powder (Hylocereus polyrhizus). Journal of Agri-Food Science and Technology. 2023;4(2):81–96. https://doi.org/10.12928/jafost.v4i2.9294
25. Cacatian SB, Guittap LJV. Production, proximate analysis and functional properties of dragon fruit peel powder. IAMURE International Journal of Ecology and Conservation. 2018;25(1).
26. Arivalagan M, Karunakaran G, Roy TK, Dinsha M, Sindhu BC, et al. Biochemical and nutritional characterization of dragon fruit (Hylocereus species). Food Chemistry. 2021;353:129426. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.FOODCHEM.2021.129426
27. Rosiana NM, Olivia Z, Suryana AL. Nutritional and antioxidant content in complementary feeding from soybeans and dragon fruit peel. Food Research. 2023;7(Suppl. 5):38–45. https://doi.org/10.26656/FR.2017.7(S5).11
28. Yasmin A, Sumi MJ, Akter K, Rabbi RHM, Almoallim HS, et al. Comparative analysis of nutrient composition and antioxidant activity in three dragon fruit cultivars. PeerJ. 2024;12:e17719. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17719
29. Ismail BP. Ash content determination. Nielsen's Food Analysis Laboratory Manual. Cham: Springer; 2024, pp. 129–131. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44970-3_14
30. Chumroenvidhayakul S, Thilavech T, Abeywardena M, Adisakwattana S. Investigating the impact of dragon fruit peel waste on starch digestibility, pasting, and thermal properties of flours used in Asia. Foods. 2022;11(14):2031. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11142031
31. Prasad S. Development, analysis and sensory evaluation of carrot squash as a natural health drink. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology 2021;8(3):1071–1077.
32. Madane P, Das AK, Nanda PK, Bandyopadhyay S, Jagtap P, et al. Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) peel as antioxidant dietary fibre on quality and lipid oxidation of chicken nuggets. Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2020;57(4):1449–1461. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-019-04180-z
33. Obiloma AA, Afam-Anene O. Evaluation of chemical composition and acceptability of fruit drinks made from noni, date and jack. Tropical Journal of Engineering Science and Technology 2024;3(1):35–47.
34. Rashwan MA, Naser Alkoaik F, Morsy MI, Blanqueza Fulleros R, Nagy Ibrahim M. Influence of tomato waste compost ratios on plant growth and fruit quality of cucumber and summer squash. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association. 2021;71(9):1067–1075. https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2021.1890278
35. Archana R, Rani CI, Geetha P, Amuthaselvi G, Muthuvel I, et al. Value addition in dragon fruit and evaluation of the products (Hylocereus costaricensis). Biological Forum – An International Journal. 2023;15(8a):180–186.
36. Akshayasri M, Chitra P, Sudagar IP, Amaravel M, Bagathsingh C, et al. Characterization and optimization of Tamarind squash formulations: Chemical and sensory attributes. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization. 2025;19:3205–3213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-025-03172-2
37. Mansour RB, Falleh H, Hammami M, Hadid FB, Barros L, et al. Optimizing the encapsulation of the refined extract of squash peels for functional food applications: A sustainable approach to reduce food waste. Open Life Sciences. 2025;20(1):20251124. https://doi.org/10.1515/biol-2025-1124
38. Singh N, Karimullah, Singh SN, Chandra S. Physico-chemical evaluation of the squash prepared from different varieties of peach. Biological Forum – An International Journal. 2023;15(1):28–35.
39. Kruk J, Aboul-Enein BH, Duchnik E, Marchlewicz M. Antioxidative properties of phenolic compounds and their effect on oxidative stress induced by severe physical exercise. The Journal of Physiological Sciences. 2022;72(1):19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12576-022-00845-1
40. Rao MJ, Zheng B. The role of polyphenols in abiotic stress tolerance and their antioxidant properties to scavenge reactive oxygen species and free radicals. Antioxidants. 2025;14(1):74. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14010074
41. Suryaningsih S, Muslim B, Djali M. The antioxidant activity of roselle and dragon fruit peel functional drink in free radical inhibition. Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 2021;1836(1):012069. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1836/1/012069
42. Raj GVSB, Dash KK. Development of hydrocolloids incorporated dragon fruit leather by conductive hydro drying: Characterization and sensory evaluation. Food Hydrocolloids for Health. 2022;2:100086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fhfh.2022.100086
43. Singh M, Yerramilli V. In-vitro and in-vivo antioxidant potential and GC-MS profile of Argemone mexicana L. The Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 2023;103(02):119–126.
44. Br V, Naik KR, Gorabal K, Deepa T, Sn P. Bacteriological and sensory stability in dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) pulp during storage: As influenced by chemical treatments. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2020;9(6):901–904.
45. Ahmed T, Das KK, Uddin MA. The microbiological quality of commercial fruit juices-current perspectives. Bangladesh Journal of Microbiology. 2019;35(2):128–133. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjm.v35i2.42643
46. Nithya C, Sudheer KP, Abdullah S. Impact of retort thermal pasteurization on the quality and stability of red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) juice. Journal of Tropical Agriculture. 2025;63(1&2):29–35. https://doi.org/10.63599/jta.2025.1520
47. Hafiz MS, Mudiyanselage K, Karunanayaka IU, Nugraheni K, Fernando GSN. Valorisation of dragon fruit peel in drinking yoghurt: Development, physicochemical, proximate, functional properties, and shelf-life evaluation. Czech Journal of Food Sciences. 2025;43(3):179–186. https://doi.org/10.17221/21/2025-CJFS
48. Surya N, Poornakala SJ, Kanchana S, Hemalatha G. Development of Amla (Emblica officinalis) ready to serve beverage fortified with dietary fiber. Emergent Life Sciences Research. 2020;06(1):06–15. https://doi.org/10.31783/elsr.2020.610615
49. Vara S, Karnena MK, Dwarapureddi BK. 6 – Natural preservatives for nonalcoholic beverages. Preservatives and Preservation Approaches in Beverages. 2019;15:The Science of Beverages:179–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816685-7.00006-9
50. Bag BB, Panigrahi C, Gupta S, Mishra HN. Efficacy of plant-based natural preservatives in extending shelf life of sugarcane juice: Formulation optimization by MOGA and correlation study by principal component analysis. Applied Food Research. 2022;2(2):100164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.afres.2022.100164
51. Prayitno SA. The sensory evaluation on pumpkin ice cream that formulated by red dragon fruit. Food Science. 2020;2:1–7.
52. Selvamuthukumaran M, Khanum F. Stability assessment of Leh Berry fruit squash. Indian Journal of Horticulture. 2020;77(1):167–172. http://doi.org/10.5958/0974-0112.2020.00018.3
53. Kumar J, Patel KK, Goyal SK, Shankar Bunkar D, Rai JP. Process optimization for dragon fruit juice based herbal beverage fortified with stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) and safed musli (Chlorophytum borivilianum). Innovative Farming 2023;8(1):10–23. https://elibrary.ru/BKLPQI
54. Zhu Y. Emotional response to food flavor and its application in food products. Flavor-Associated Applications in Health and Wellness Food Products. Cham: Springer; 2024, pp. 347–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51808-9_14
55. Genovese DB, Elustondo MP, Lozano JE. Color and cloud stabilization in cloudy apple juice by steam heating during crushing. Journal of Food Science. 1997;62:1171–1175. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1997.tb12238.x
56. Benjuma AA, Salem BA, Eshkourfu RO, Hamarsheh RO, Amawi KF. Study of the effect of storage on the physicochemical characteristics of some industrial juices traded in local markets. Artificial Intelligence, Sustainable Technologies, and Business Innovation: Opportunities and Challenges of Digital Transformation. Cham: Springer; 2025, vol. 1171. pp. 331–340. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-77925-1_29
57. Moon KM, Kwon EB, Lee B, Kim CY. Recent trends in controlling the enzymatic browning of fruit and vegetable products. Molecules. 2020;25(12):2754. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25122754
58. Macedo MJ, Silva JDR, Júnior MRM. Stability of anthocyanins during food processing. Handbook of Analysis and Extraction Methods of Anthocyanins. Abingdon-on-Thames: Taylor & Francis Group; 2025, pp. 34–64. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003453260-3
59. Nurhadi B, Qonit MAH, Mubarok S, Saputra RA. Enhancing betacyanin stability: Comparison of dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) pulp and peel powders through encapsulation technology during storage. Food Science & Nutrition. 2024;12:3251–3264. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.3992
60. Martínez SEQ, Fuentes EET, Zapateiro LAG. Food hydrocolloids from butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) peel: Rheological properties and their use in Carica papaya Jam. ACS Omega 2021;6(18):12114–12123. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.1c00822
61. Lim TW, Lim RLH, Pui LP, Tan CP, Ho CW. Red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus), a superfruit rich in betacyanins pigments with antioxidative potential for hepatoprotection: A review. Future Foods. 2025;11:100562.
62. Abarna S, Joshi A, Sethi S, Tomar BS, Kumar R, et al. Betalains stability and antioxidant activity of beetroots: As a function of maturity stage. Sugar Tech. 2024;26:77–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-023-01321-9
63. Hernández-Aguirre OA, Muro C, Hernández-Acosta E, Alvarado Y, Díaz-Nava MDC. Extraction and stabilization of betalains from beetroot (Beta vulgaris) wastes using deep eutectic solvents. Molecules. 2021;26(21):6342. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26216342
