Passion fruit Agriculture — My passion
Hello
I am Gijo Vijayan, I am a blogger, author and entrepreneur from India.
I was ex-engineer, now full time digital entrepreneur and travel blogger.
Recently I have taken up passion fruit agriculture. In my home at Bangalore, we had a good harvest of “Passionfruit”.
I started making Passion fruit saplings from 16th May 2024, Thursday. I used the seeds from 5 passion fruits I harvested from my garden @ Bangalore. Given below is the picture of passion fruits that will create history in future.
I want to plant as many passion fruit plants all over Kerala and Bangalore. It seems to grow very well at Bangalore as well as in Kerala.
We bought a plant from Kerala and planted it in front of our home in Bangalore. It is growing well and gave good harvest.
Here is the passion fruit plant (Twine) @ My home in Bangalore.
Passion fruit is a flowering tropical vine, known as Passiflora, that grows in warm climates such as South America, Australia, South Africa, and India. A common species of passion fruit is passiflora edulis, but there are different species and it may sometimes be referred to as granadilla.
The term ‘passion fruit’ in English comes from the passion flower, as an English translation of the Latin genus name, Passiflora, and may be spelled “passion fruit”, “passionfruit”, or “passion-fruit”. Around 1700, the name Passiflora was given by missionaries in Brazil as an educational aid to convert the indigenous inhabitants to Christianity: its name was flor das cinco chagas or “flower of the five wounds” to illustrate the crucifixion of Christ and his resurrection, with other plant components also named after an emblem in the Passion of Jesus.
A variety of passion fruits at a market in Portugal Well known edible passion fruits can be divided into four main types:
- Purple passion fruit (fruits of Passiflora edulis Sims)
2. Yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Deg.)
3.Sweet granadilla (Passiflora ligularis)
4.Giant granadilla (Passiflora quadrangularis L.) - NUTRITIONAL VALUE
- Passion fruit (granadilla)purple, raw per 100 grams
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) - Energy 406 kJ (97 kcal)
Carbohydrates: 23.4 g
Sugars 11.2 g
Dietary fiber 10.4 g
Fat: 0.7 g
Protein: 2.2 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Riboflavin (B2)
Niacin (B3)
Vitamin B6
Folate (B9)
Vitamin C
Vitamin K - Minerals
Calcium
Iron
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Potassium
Sodium
Zinc - Water 72.9 g
Purple passion fruit (fruits of Passiflora edulis Sims)
scientific name:Passiflora edulis
species:P. ligularis
Family: Passifloraceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Genus: Passiflora
Description/Taste
Purple passionfruit is slightly smaller than yellow passionfruit, averaging 5 to 7 centimeters in diameter, and has a round to oval shape with curved ends. The skin is smooth, waxy, and purple to dark red when young, developing darker hues with a leathery, dimpled, and wrinkled consistency with maturity. Underneath the surface, there is a white and spongy, inedible pith encasing a seed cavity. The flesh, also known as the pulp, consists of small and edible black seeds surrounding by a yellow to orange sack that is aqueous, slippery, and succulent. Purple passionfruit is highly aromatic and has a tropical and floral, sweet-tart flavor with musky undertones reminiscent of guava.
Seasons/Availability
Purple passionfruit is available year-round, with a peak season in the spring through late summer.
Nutritional Value
Purple passionfruit is a good source of vitamins A and C, which are antioxidants that can help reduce inflammation within the body and boost the immune system. The fruits also contain some potassium, phosphorus, iron, and folate. The seeds found within the flesh are an excellent source of fiber, which stimulates and regulates the digestive tract. Beyond the fruits, Purple passionfruit flowers have been used for centuries as a medicinal supplement to reduce symptoms associated with insomnia, asthma, anxiety, and menopause.
Applications
Purple passionfruit is prized for its sweet and tangy, jelly-like pulp, which is best suited for both raw and baked preparations. The fruit can be sliced in half, removed from the rind with a spoon, and consumed straight, out-of-hand. Both the pulp and seeds are edible, and for a less tart flavor, sugar, cream, or chile powder and lime can be added before serving. Purple passionfruit is popularly used as a topping over ice cream, yogurt, cakes, and fruit salads, or it can add tropical undertones into ceviche, soups, sauces, syrups, jams, and jellies. The flesh can also be strained through a cheesecloth to remove the seeds, and the juice can be blended into smoothies, fruit punches, soft drinks, and cocktails, or mixed into cheesecakes, cookies, shaved ice, mochi, malasadas, and frostings. In addition to the fruits, passionfruit flowers and leaves are edible and can be used fresh as garnishes or dried for teas. Purple passionfruit pairs well with fruits such as banana, orange, watermelon, coconut, and mango, honey, dark chocolate, and almonds. Purple passionfruit should be stored at room temperature until fully ripe. Mature fruits will be wrinkled, developing thin, brittle skin, and will appear darker in color. Once ripe, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Passion fruit, also known as “the king of fruits”, “maracujá”, “love fruit”, and “fruitlover” is another produce which became popular due to its health benefits and balanced nutrition. More than 110 phytochemical substances have already been identified in its pulp, leaves, peels and seeds.
The fruit is mostly eaten raw or processed into juice, which is often added to the other fruit juices to enhance the aroma. In addition, a range of other products has been developed, including cake, ice cream, jam, jelly, yoghurt, compound beverage, tea, wine, vinegar, soup-stock, and condiment sauce. Besides pulp, the peels and seeds contain high levels of bioactive compounds and are studied to be included into human nutrition. Different parts of the plant are also interesting for the cosmetic industry and already used in the traditional medicine in many countries.
The leaves have very pleasant taste and are used to prepare a delicious stress relief tea. They contain fiber, niacin, vitamin A and C. The peels, characterised by the high levels of polyphenols, fibers and trace elements, are used for making wine or tea, cooking dishes, extracting pectin and medicinal ingredients, and processing feed. The seeds are edible and contain high protein and oil amounts (mainly linoleic acid, oleic acid, and palmitic acid.
Two main commercial varieties are the yellow-fruited Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa O. Deg. and the purple-fruited P. edulis Simst, named after the colour of their skin. Recently, more interest has been put also on the orange variety, Passiflora caerulea, due to its sweet flavour and abundance of bioactive compounds.
Nutrition
Passion fruit is an excellent source of nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins, dietary fibers, vitamins, and minerals (Table 1 and 2). It contains nutritionally valuable compounds: vitamins A, B, C, K and E, and is high in carotenoids, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. The concentrations of nutrients differ among the passion fruit varieties as well as different parts of the plant
Bioactive compounds
The pulp, peels and seeds of passion fruit have all a significant content of bioactive compounds. Passion fruit has a high content of phenolic acids, mostly anthocyanins and flavonoids, carotenoids (mostly beta carotene: up to 21.3 mg/100g in orange variety peel), lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin C and A.
The content and type of bioactive compounds varies among the fruit parts and varieties. For example, in the recent study comparing antioxidant potential and physicochemical characterisation of yellow, purple and orange passion fruit, yellow variety had the highest concentrations of pectin (37.4 g/100g) in peels; the highest cryptoxanthin, alpha and beta carotene, provitamin A, quercetin, and kaempferol in the pulp, and highest values of the total dietary fibre in seeds. The purple variety had the highest concentration of anthocyanins in peels (103.7 mg/ 100g) and seeds (8.2 mg/100g), while the orange variety had the highest levels of carotenoids (mainly beta carotene with 21.3 mg/100g) and kaempferol in peels; the highest contents of total soluble solids, lycopene (4.4 mg/100 g), lutein (91.2 μg/100g), zeaxanthin (105.4 μg/100g) and total carotenoids (5.3 mg/100g) in pulp, as well as high phenolics in all studied plant parts. In general, the phenolic compounds are highest in the pulp and peels, flavonoid quercetin is most abundant in the peels, while anthocyanins have the highest concentration in the peels and seeds.
Bioactive compounds of passion fruit have been shown to have beneficial health activities, exhibiting a protective effect against the degenerative and chronic diseases and acting as the mutagenesis and carcinogenesis inhibitors. They were associated with the antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiallergic, antihypertensive, hepato- and lung-protective activities, anti-diabetic, sedative, antidepressant and anti-inflammatory activities. The leaves are widely used as the sedatives or tranquillizers in the United States and European countries.
Cultivation
Passion fruit is a perennial vine with big and beautiful flowers. It belongs to the genus Passiflora which has around 550 species. It is widely planted in the tropical and subtropical regions, especially in the South America, Caribbean, south Florida, South Africa, and Asia. The ideal conditions for the passion fruit cultivation are thus in the areas with the tropical and subtropical climate. Water content in the soil is one of the most important factors influencing the flowering of the plant. Purple variety is a bit more resistant to the lower temperature, nevertheless, cultivation in the greenhouses is recommended in the temperate climate.
Passiflora edulis is currently the most cultivated species with the seven varieties listed in the Plant List including P. edulis Sims, P. edulis f. edulis, P. edulis f. flavicarpa O. Deg., P. edulis var. kerii (Spreng.) Mast., P. edulis var. pomifera (M. Roem.) Mast., P. edulis var. pomifera (M. Roem.) Mast., P. edulis var. rubricaulis (Jacq.) Mast., and P. edulis var. verrucifera (Lindl.)
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About the Author — Gijo Vijayan
My name is Gijo Vijayan. I am a blogger, author and entrepreneur from India.
I am former student of prestigious military school in India, Sainik School Kazhakootam, Kerala, India.
I did my Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from MA College of Engineering in 1996, MG University, Kerala, India.
Later I worked in companies like Kochi Refineries Ltd, Reliance Petroleum Ltd (Jamnagar, Gujarat).
I am also published author of 3 Books, you can see my Amazon Author Page Here.
I am into own business from 2005 on wards.
I own several startup companies and work in Recruitment, IT, Technology domain.
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