Durian (Durio zibethinus L.

) do particularly well in areas where their

roots can reach water, for instance along
Your name stream banks (1). Deep soils, either
Assignment number alluvial or loamy, suit durians best (1).
Course number The fruits sprout directly from the trees
Instructor trunk and main branches (2). The durian
Date 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
Figure 1: Durian fruit With
produce 40 to 50 fruits per year, each
a powerful odor reminiscent of decayed
weighing as much as 18 lbs. (2) which
onions, Limburger cheese and sherry
equates to about 6,000 lbs. of fruit per
wine [a] texture like a smooth, creamy
acre per year (1). Durian trees can live at
custard anda rich, sweet, faintly
least 150 years (2).
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 Figure 2: Durian Tree The
receiving large amounts of rainfall. They Dawn Bat, (Eonycteris spelea), is one of
the most important pollinators; it is Other uses: Nearly all parts of the
attracted to the plant by the flowers durian tree have auxiliary uses. As a
strong smell (2). technique for flavoring, meats are
Pests and Diseases: Durian plants are sometimes hung over burning rinds (1).
mildly susceptible to attack by the white The rinds can also be burned for fuel,
mealybug (Pseudococcus lilacinus) and and the ash works as bleach for silks (1).
the giant mealybug (Drosicha Durian wood is soft and coarse; it is not
townsendi). One of the few diseases termite resistant or durable, but it is
afflicting durians is patch canker, which sometimes used in hut interiors (1).
results from Phytophthora palmivor (1). Durian flavored toothpaste is also
The infection is detected as a brownish- available in some areas (1).
red ooze covering the trunk and roots of Medicinal Properties: Durians have
a seedling (1). been used to cure many aliments. For
Consumption: The fleshy portion of the instance, the flesh may be eaten to expel
durian fruit is most commonly eaten intestinal parasites (1). The leaves and
fresh, but it is also sometimes boiled roots can be ingested to lower a fever (1)
with sugar or coconut water or made into Application of leaf juice to ones head
a paste (1). As an export product, the may reduce a fever, and bathing in the
flesh is sometimes canned in syrup or juice is believed to aid in curing jaundice
dried (1). When the shoots and leaves (1). Topical application of the fruit may
are young they may be cooked and eaten also alleviate swelling and other skin
as greens; likewise, boiled, unripe fruits conditions (1).
can be eaten as a vegetable (1). The
seeds can be roasted, fried, boiled, or World Durian Production and Marketing Situation
just dried and eaten (1). It may be Country Acres in Production Export/
advisable to monitor ones seed production (tones/yr) Import
(tones/yr)
consumption because the seeds have Thailand 338,000 > 900,000 78,500
been known to cause shortness of breath Malaysia 160,000400 400,000 Few/ few
(1) The rind of the fruit is sometimes from
burned and used as a dessert spice (1). Thailand
in off-
season
Durian flesh nutritional facts:
Indonesia 200,000
Serving Size: 100 gram Consumption Import from Import
Calories 147 (tones/ yr) Thailand from
Total Fat 5g (30%) (%) Malaysia
Total 27 g (67%) (%)
Hong Kong 5,000 90 10
Carbohydrates 10,000
Dietary Fiber 4g Taiwan 36,000 most
Protein 1 g (3%) Singapore 25,000 20 80
Vitamin C 33% China 20,000- most
Thiamin 25% 25,000
Riboflavin 12%
Vitamin B6 16% References:
Potassium 12% 1. Morton, J. 1987. Durian. p. 287291.
Manganese 16 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, Jos-
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
Prevosts 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 long-
tailed 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