Durian contains many nutrients, what should be noted when eating?

Dr˳ Huynh Tan Vu – lecturer of traditional medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy (HCMC) – said that durian is a rather unique fruit, because it carries with it both extremes of being human˳ love it or hate it to the very end˳

People who love durian find the taste of durian very passionate and hard to resist, can go from liking to becoming addicted˳

People who do not like the smell of durian find the smell unpleasant, or described as the smell of rotten onions… Durian is strange, unique, but has many health benefits˳

Durian has high nutritional value

According to Dr˳ Nguyen Hoai Thu – Nutrition Examination and Consulting Center, Vietnam Institute of Applied Medicine, durian provides many vitamins and minerals, has a higher fat and calorie content than many other fruits˳

One cup of chopped fresh or frozen durian equivalent to 243g provides about 357 calories, 3˳6g protein, equivalent to the protein content in some other tropical fruits such as jackfruit, guava; 66g carbohydrates of which a large content is fiber; 3˳1 – 19˳97g sugar˳

The amount of sugar in durian has a glycemic index rating of 49, lower than other tropical fruits like watermelon, papaya and pineapple; 13g of fat, but this is a healthy type of fat, which can help improve the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K˳

Durian has many good micronutrients: iron, phosphorus, vitamin C and folate, potassium and magnesium are good for bone health˳

Eat a cup of durian, the body will be provided with about 38% of vitamin B6; 80% vitamin C; 25% dong; 61% thiamine; 30% potassium; 18% magnesium; 39% of manganese; 29% riboflavin; 22% folate and 13% niacin a person needs each day˳

Who should limit eating durian?

According to Dr˳ Thu, durian is a nutritious fruit, but it needs to be eaten in moderation˳

People who are overweight and obese should limit their intake of this fruit˳ Although durian does not contain cholesterol or unhealthy fats, this fruit is still high in calories˳

A small durian weighing about 602g has about 885 calories˳ This equates to about 44% of the 2,000 recommended daily calories for an average adult˳

People with diabetes should not eat a lot of durian because durian is high in fructose and glucose˳ Excess of these sugars can cause symptoms such as blurred vision and nausea˳

From the point of view of traditional medicine, durian is considered a “heat” food, eating too much will cause a hot condition and symptoms like poisoning˳ Therefore, people with a hot condition and severe constipation should not eat durian˳

Durian contains abundant potassium content, eating a lot causes potassium stagnation in the body˳ Therefore, people with kidney disease and heart disease should limit eating durian because eating a lot can cause heart rhythm disturbances˳

Elderly people should limit eating durian because the cellulose contained in durian meat is at risk of causing constipation and intestinal obstruction˳

How to identify ripe durian trees and ripe durian juice?

About how to recognize ripe durian trees, Dr˳ Thu said that when durian ripens, ripens naturally, when gently pressing on the stem, you will feel the wet stem and see the sap flowing out˳ Durian spines are fresh, hard, firm, beautiful bright color˳

And durian is forced to ripen by dipping in medicine, by picking when the fruit is still green, unripe and left for a long time, so the spines are dark, dark and old˳

When adding natural ripe durian, the segments can be easily separated, the segments are golden yellow, greasy, fragrant, and the durian rice is soft and smooth˳ Meanwhile, chemically soaked durian is difficult to separate, the segments are pale yellow, the taste is pale, the rice is rough due to being cooked˳

The taste of durian can also help consumers identify chemically soaked and naturally ripened durians˳ If durian is soaked in chemicals, when ripe, there is no characteristic strong scent, sometimes no smell˳ Natural ripe durian fruit (falling off by itself) has a characteristic aroma that can still be smelled from afar˳

According to Dr˳ Thu, some traders may use chemicals to press ripe durian˳ The chemicals used for dipping durians are called tebuconazole and carbendazim˳ This is a chemical that kills fungi, belongs to the extremely toxic group, decomposes slowly and has the potential to cause infertility, teratogenicity or cancer˳

Tebuconazole has been listed as a carcinogen by the US Food and Drug Administration˳ This chemical has been removed from the European market˳

Another type of ripening chemical that is frequently used by traders is a solution made from a foliar fertilizer called HPC-97 HXN, which is on the list of fertilizers permitted for use by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development˳ village, in order to stimulate fruit ripening, accelerate flowering, help defoliate legumes… However, HPC-97 HXN must be used at the permissible dosage to not be harmful to consumers’ health˳ ˳

Durian compares to dragon fruit in China, contributing to an additional 500 million USD for vegetables

While many industries faced difficulties, fruit and vegetable exports in the first 5 months of the year still increased by more than half a billion USD compared to the same period last year˳ In which, durian exports increased sharply, on par with dragon fruit in the Chinese market˳