How to choose a good durian？

As the "king of fruit", people still have many questions about it, such as whether it is "fragrant" or "smelly"? Does durian shell have any other use value besides pricking people? Who should eat durian carefully … Don’t worry, let’s talk about durian in this article.

Is durian fragrant or smelly?

People have different opinions on the smell of durian, which is a combination of fragrance and odor. Some people say it is super "fragrant", while others say it smells like a gas tank. If durian is baked in the oven, it may be misunderstood by neighbors as "baking shit".

Why does durian smell so special?

In fact, the normal smell of fresh durian is very sweet, accompanied by onion flavor and elegant fruit fragrance, which is very delicious. However, if the picking time is too late and the durian is over-ripe on the tree, it will emit a sulfur smell. In addition, if durian is kept in a closed environment, it will also give off a special smell.

Some people have analyzed the flavor components of seven common durians, and found that there are 58 kinds of volatile substances in durian, so it has a strong flavor. Because of the existence of esters and sulfides, durian has its own unique and strong fragrance. Among them, sulfur compounds make durian produce a unique "onion-sulfur" smell, and different contents and proportions will also make people have different perceptions and evaluations. Sulfide components are the highest in Jinfeng durian, so its smell is the most special and strong; The existence of esters makes durian have fruity aroma and pleasant smell, which is the highest among the golden pillow durian, but it will also be affected by factors such as heredity, environment (temperature, rainfall, altitude), cultivation and harvesting technology.

How about durian nutrition?

Durian is delicious, but its nutrition is really good.

-Vitamins: Durian has better vitamin content than many common fruits, such as vitamin B, vitamin E, nicotinic acid, etc.

-Minerals: Durian has good potassium and magnesium content, especially the potassium content is as high as 261 mg /100 g, which is higher than that of bananas that can supplement potassium in everyone’s mouth. Eating 100 g can meet 13% of the daily potassium demand of the general population, which is also very helpful for controlling blood pressure.

-protein: Although the quality of protein in fruit is not as good as that of meat, eggs and milk beans, in terms of content, the protein content of durian is considered as the best in fruit, which can provide 2.6 grams of protein per 100 grams, 6.5 times that of apples.

-Dietary fiber: According to the nutrition database of USDA, the total dietary fiber content of durian is 3.8g/100g, which is 1.6 times that of apple.

However, although durian is rich in nutrition, its calories can not be underestimated. The calorie per 100 grams is as high as 150 kilocalories, which is equivalent to a small bowl of rice.

How to use durian shell and durian core?

Although durian is soft inside, it is covered with armor and thorns. Most people throw away durian shells and durian cores when they eat durian, thinking that it is useless to keep these two goods.

▲ Figure: durian shell (left) and durian core (right)

In fact, they can really use it. Both the white pulp endothelium of durian shell and durian stone can be used to make soup, which can increase the flavor of soup. Durian stone can also be cooked and eaten alone. After cooking, peel off the outside and there is a small nut inside, which tastes a bit like chestnut and is quite delicious.

▲ Figure: Small nuts in durian core

In addition, durian shell and durian stone also have some nutritional value. Animal experiments show that the extract of white pulp endothelium from durian shell has certain anti-inflammatory effect; Durian stone contains vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

How to buy a good durian?

-Look at the crack: durian will crack when it matures. Try to choose a smaller crack, which will increase the risk of pollution.

-Look at the color: With the increase of durian maturity, the durian shell will gradually turn yellow, which may be caused by the increase of β -carotene content. Therefore, choosing durian with a yellow shell means that it is relatively more mature. If the color is blue, it means that the maturity is not enough, and the taste may be worse.

-Smell: Choose something sweet and fruity, and don’t choose something with obvious odor, which may be too mature or deteriorated.

-Touching the fruit thorns: With the increase of durian maturity, the fruit thorns will gradually soften and the thorns will turn brown. If the durian thorns are blue or hard, it is not mature enough.

▲ Figure: The tip of the fruit thorn turns brown.

-Tap to listen to the sound: When the fruit reaches a certain maturity, there will be a gap between the pulp and the shell. When something is tapped on the fruit (such as the back of a knife), it will make a hollow sound.

-Variety selection: Durian with golden pillow is the largest, with more pulp, smaller seeds and high edible rate, but with thick peel and high organic acid content; Maoshanwang durian has large fruit, more pulp, thicker peel and higher soluble solids content.

How to store the durian I bought?

If durian is left too long, it will make people smell bad more easily. This is because durian is a climacteric fruit, which means that during the period from the stop of growth to the beginning of aging, the respiratory rate will suddenly increase and there will be a peak. This process will release ethylene, the respiration will rise rapidly, and the fruit will be more mature.

It was found that durian’s respiratory jump was very active at 24℃, 27℃, 30℃ and 33℃. Too mature durian is easy to rot and stink.

Therefore, in order to inhibit the degree of respiratory jump of durian during storage, it must be placed in a low temperature environment. However, because it belongs to tropical fruit, chilling injury will occur if the storage temperature is too low, especially when it is stored with skin. For example, durian with golden pillow will suffer chilling injury when it is stored at 13℃.

Therefore, if the durian is shelled, it is recommended to store it at about 15℃, and it can be stored for about 3 weeks at the longest. Because durian meat is less prone to chilling injury than durian shells, durian meat can also be peeled off separately, wrapped with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator. Depending on the maturity, it can be stored for up to one month, but the flavor may deteriorate if it is stored for too long, and it is best not to exceed half a month.

In addition, durian pulp can also be frozen and preserved, even if it is preserved for more than 3 months, the flavor is still good, and a durian ice cream can be harvested.

Who should eat durian carefully?

Although durian has a unique flavor and a smooth and sweet taste, not everyone can eat it. There are four types of people who must eat less or not eat durian.

-Diabetic patients: Although its GI value (glycemic index) is not very high, only 49, which is a food with low GI, its carbohydrate content is as high as 28.3 g /100 g, which contains sucrose, glucose, maltose and fructose. After eating 100 g of durian, the GL (glycemic load) is more than 10, and the range of blood sugar increase is quite obvious.

Therefore, if you have high blood sugar, try not to eat it.

-Obese people: Durian is among the best among fruits in terms of calories. Eating as much as a fist is equivalent to a small bowl of rice and nearly three times as much as apples. If you want to control your weight or lose weight, you must keep your mouth shut and eat less durian.

▲ Figure: One piece of durian meat is about 90 grams.

-Nephropathy patients: Durian is a high-potassium fruit. Nephropathy patients with hyperkalemia should try to eat less or not.

-People allergic to durian: Some people may be allergic to durian, so don’t eat it.

Author: Xue Qingxin, member of China Nutrition Society, registered dietitian, health manager, public dietitian.

Audit: Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center