DRAGON FRUIT BEVERAGE
Night blooming cactus or dragon fruit as it is popularly known in the Philippines belongs to the Family
Cactaceae under the genus Hylocereus and Selenicereus. It is a native plant from Mexico, Central
and South America where they are called “pitaya” or “pitahaya”. They are one of the most widely
distributed members of the family, and are now found on six continents. This vine-like epiphytic cactus
is also cultivated in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, and the
Southeast Coast of China (http://www.mixph.com/dragon-fruit-growing-and-production/)
Introduced in the Philippines in the 1900’s through trading and exchange of goods by the Spaniards
and the Filipinos. Because of its production and economic importance, this fruit showed competitive
advantage for the local fruit industry (http://www.mixph.com/dragon-fruit-growing-and-
production/).
Recently, dragon fruit has become a popular commodity in the Philippines particularly among farmers
in Cavite because of its commercial value (http://www.mixph.com/dragon-fruit-growing-and-
production/)
Dragon fruit contains small amounts of several nutrients. It’s also a decent source of iron, magnesium,
and fiber. Given the high amount of fiber and magnesium, as well as the extremely low calorie
content, dragon fruit can be considered a highly nutrient-dense fruit
(https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ dragon-fruit#nutrition).
Nutrient Amount per % Daily Value Comment
100 g
Water 87 g NA Very high water content
Protein 1.1 g 2.1 %
Fat 0.4 g NA Contains practically no fat
Carbohydrates 11.0 g 3.4 %
Fiber 3g 12 % Very good source of
dietary fiber
Vitamin B1 0.04 mg 2.7 %
(Thiamine)
Vitamin B2 0.05 mg 2.9 %
(Riboflavin)
Vitamin B3 0.16 mg 0.8 %
(Niacin)
Vitamin C 20.5 mg 34.2 % Contains more than 3
(Ascorbic Acid) times the amount of
vitamin C found in carrots
Calcium (Ca) 8.5 mg 0.9 %
Iron (Fe) 1.9 mg 10.6 % A good source of iron
Phosphorus (P) 22.5 mg 2.3 %
Zinc (Zn) NA NA
Source: https://www.healwithfood.org/nutrition-facts/dragon-fruit-nutritional-health-benefits.php#ixzz5rBl5uJOc
Some of the main antioxidants contained in dragon fruit pulp (https://www.healthline.com)
Betalains: Found in the pulp of red dragon fruit, these deep red pigments have been shown
to protect “bad” LDL cholesterol from becoming oxidized or damaged.
Hydroxycinnamates: This group of compounds has demonstrated anticancer activity in test-
tube and animal studies.
Flavonoids: This large, diverse group of antioxidants is linked to better brain health and a
reduced risk of heart disease.
Product Formulation
Table 1. Formulations of the developed Dragon Fruit Beverages
Ingredients (%) Clear Beverage Pulpy Beverage
Dragon Fruit Puree 25.00 35.00
Water 65.65 56.73
Refined White Sugar 8.50 7.02
Calamansi Extract 0.85 1.25
Total 100 100
Preparation and Processing
Figure 1 shows the process of producing Dragon Fruit Beverage. The delivered fresh dragon fruit was
washed to remove adhering soil and dirt and dipped in 50 ppm chilled distilled water. Washed dragon
fruit was then trimmed and cut into cubes to facilitate blending. Pureed fruit was sieved using a no. 60
mesh to produce a clear juice and some were not to yield a pulpy product. Mixing was done in a
cleaned and sanitized kettle and pre-heated to 65 – 70 oC for 15 minutes. The pre-heated mixture was
then hot filled in retortable stand-up pouch, sealed using a band sealer and thermally processed using
the EVFIC Vertical Water Immersion Retort.
.
Receiving of Receiving of Quality and Process
Receiving of
Ingredients Fresh Dragon
Packaging and
Requirements
Fruit
Labeling Materials
Receiving
- Product temp and condition
Washing
Washing
- 50 ppm chilled chlorine
concentration
Trimming / Cutting
Trimming / Cutting
- Peeling
- Cutting into cubes
Pureeing
Pureeing
- Using blender at high speed
Sieving
Sieving
- #60 Mesh
Preparation and
Weighing of Mixing / Pre-heating
ingredients Mixing / Pre-Heating
Storage of - 65 – 70oC for 15 mins
Filling & Sealing Packaging and - internal temperature
Labeling
Materials
Filling & Sealing
- Hot filling and sealing
Retorting
- PA/PET/AL/CPP stand-up
pouches (120 microns)
Cooling Retorting
- 90 oC for 30 mins
Cooling
Finished Product - Room temp up to 40 – 45oC
Figure 1. Process Flow Diagram for Dragon Fruit Beverage
Processing Results
Figure 2 shows the visual representation of the dragon fruit beverages developed where the dragon
fruits seeds are evident on the un-sieved (left) product while the sieved product appeared clear (right).
Darker pink hue towards red violet color was pronounced on the pulpy product while a milder pink
shade was depicted on the sieved one. Actual products were packaged in retorted film pouches;
images below are just to illustrate the beverages produced.
Figure 2. Dragon Fruit Beverage (left) pulpy; (right) sieved/clear
Physico-Chemical Test
Average pH and Total soluble solids of the pulpy and clear dragon fruit beverages were both 4.9 and
11.6 respectively. These were conducted in DOST 8 RSTL.
Sensory Evaluation (Consumer Acceptability and Preference Test)
The products (pulpy and clear dragon fruit beverage) developed were subjected to sensory evaluation
to determine and evaluate the acceptability and preference. Evaluation was done in the Regional
Standards and Testing Laboratory with 25 respondents consisting of eight (8) males and seventeen
(17) females which are 68% and 32% respectively; whereas age group ranged from 21 to 45 years
old. The respondents were asked to evaluate whether they like or dislike both formulations and to
choose between the two samples presented.
Table 2. Summary of the sensory evaluation results.
Acceptance Preference
Pulpy Clear Pulpy Clear Total
Like 19 18
11 14 25
Dislike 6 7
Total 25 25
Figure 3. Graphical representation of Sensory Evaluation results.
Statistical Analysis of Sensory Evaluation Results
Based on the chi square (Table 2), both acceptability tests of pulpy and clear beverages gave
significant difference with 0.01 and 0.5 levels of confidence respectively. This implies that both
products were significantly liked than dislike by the panelists. The dark pink, earthy and pulpy Product
A and mild pink, clear Product B were both liked by the evaluators and can have a market potential.
However, it can be noted that the number of panelist is quite small, thus additional consumer testing
is recommended. Also age group segmentation should be taken into consideration with equal
numbers of panelist per group.
In indicating the preferred product, chi square result showed no significant difference between the
two. This connotes that there was no superior product than the other and both have potential for in-
depth R&D. Detailed calculation and chi square generated by STATISTICA 6 are presented below.
Table 3. Chi square result of the Pulpy Dragon Fruit Beverage
Observed vs. Expected Frequencies Chi-Square = 6.760000 df = 1 p = .009323
observed - Pulpy expected - Expected O-E (O-E)**2 - /E
Like 19.00000 12.50000 6.50000 3.380000
Dislike 6.00000 12.50000 -6.50000 3.380000
Sum 25.00000 25.00000 0.00000 6.760000
Table 4. Chi square result of the Clear Dragon Fruit Beverage
Observed vs. Expected Frequencies Chi-Square = 4.840000 df = 1 p = .027808
observed - Clear expected - Expected O-E (O-E)**2 - /E
Like 18.00000 12.50000 5.50000 2.420000
Dislike 7.00000 12.50000 -5.50000 2.420000
Sum 25.00000 25.00000 0.00000 4.840000
Table 5. Chi square result of the Dragon Fruit Beverages
Observed vs. Expected Frequencies Chi-Square = .3600000 df = 1 p = .548507
observed - Observed expected - Expected O-E (O-E)**2 - /E
Pulpy 11.00000 12.50000 -1.50000 0.180000
Clear 14.00000 12.50000 1.50000 0.180000
Sum 25.00000 25.00000 0.00000 0.360000
Costing
The cost of processing the beverages were determined for all treatments using prevailing costs of
ingredients, packaging materials, and operating expenses during the conduct of the experiment.
𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝒕 = 𝑫𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒔 + 𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒔 + 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝒕
Pulpy Clear
Formulation % Formulation %
Puree 2.3548 35 272.478 641.631 Puree 2.355 25 272.478 641.686
Water 3.816794 56.73 0.94 3.58779 Water 6.18423 65.65 0.94 5.81318
Sugar 0.472306 7.02 50 23.6153 Sugar 0.8007 8.5 50 40.035
Calamansi 0.0841 1.25 255 21.4455 Calamansi 0.08007 0.85 255 20.4179
Total 6.728 Total 9.42
2.355 690.28 0 707.952
direct material cost per pack 20.3023 direct material cost per pack 17.2671
Production Output Production Output
Output (195mL) 34.50256 34 Output (195mL) 48.30769 41
Production (mL) 6.63 Production (mL) 7.995
Loss -0.098 Loss -1.425
per
Packaging Material per pack 3.00 Packaging Material pack 3.00
Labor Cost mins 250 (1 day) 0.520833 Labor Cost mins 250 (1 day) 0.52083
Preparation 15 7.8125 Preparation 15 7.8125
Mixing 30 15.625 Mixing 30 15.625
Filling / Sealing 20 10.41667 Filling / Sealing 20 10.4167
Retorting 45 23.4375 Retorting 45 23.4375
110 57.29167 110 57.2917
per
per pack 1.68505 pack 1.39736
Operating Operating
Expenses per hr usage(mins) Expenses per hr usage(mins)
DC water retort 3.15 45 2.3625 DC water retort 3.15 45 2.3625
DC Table & others 1.09 65 1.180833 DC Table & others 1.09 65 1.18083
Blending 5 10 0.833333 Blending 5 10 0.83333
Mixing 69 30 34.5 Mixing 69 30 34.5
Sealing 10 10 1.666667 Sealing 10 10 1.66667
Retorting 8.7 45 6.525 Retorting 8.7 45 6.525
Lights 2.5 110 4.583333 Lights 2.5 110 4.58333
Water 25 5 2.083333 Water 25 5 2.08333
53.735 1.58044 53.735 1.31061
Total Cost per pack (195 mL) 26.57 Total Cost per pack (195 mL) 22.98
Recommendation
To make the product more promising for commercialization, a more sophisticated packaging and
appealing label should be utilized. Nutritional content should be determined emphasizing the fiber
content of dragon fruit which will be engaging to consumers.
