Determination of pomological characteristics and biochemical contents of some pitaya varieties grown in Muğla region

This study was conducted to determine the pomological and biochemical properties of pitaya cultivars Vietnam White and Siam Red grown in the Muğla region. In this study, the average fruit weight of the Vietnam White was determined to be 232.2 g, fruit width to be 68.884 mm, fruit length to be 102.92 mm, fruit peel weight to be 77.29 g, peel thickness to be 3.32 mm, and pulp firmness to be 1.41 kg/cm2. For the Siam Red, these values were measured to be 203.55 g, 65.63 mm, 84.502 mm, 54.53 g, 2.69 mm, and 0.57 kg/cm2, respectively. Chemical analyses showed that the soluble solids content of Vietnam White was 12.57%, the pH was 4.46, and the titratable acidity was 0.36%. For Siam Red, these values were 10.94%, 4.60, and 0.45%, respectively. According to the color analysis results, the peel color values of Vietnam White were L* 41.54, a* 35.37, and b* 11.03, while the flesh color values were L* 74.62, a* 10.22, and b* 4.33. For Siam Red, the peel color values were L* 39.70, a* 37.74, and b* 13.35, while the pulp color values were L* 33.67, a* 45.73, and b* -2.14. Biochemical analyses showed that the total phenolic content was 406.42 mg GAE/100g for the pitaya cv. of Vietnam White and 432.77 mg GAE/100g for the Siam Red. The total flavonoid content was 20.10 mg catechin/100g for Vietnam White and 22.99 mg catechin/100g for Siam Red. Total antioxidant activity was recorded as 79.40% inhibition mg/100g for Vietnam White and 73.74% inhibition mg/100g for Siam Red. In conclusion, significant differences in pomological, chemical, and biochemical properties were observed between the pitaya cultivars of Vietnam White and Siam Red, and these differences can be considered in selection research.