Passion Fruit
General Information | Anona Squamosa | Star Fruit | Passion Fruit
Of the estimated 500 species of Passiflora, in the family Passifloraceae, only one, P. edulis Sims, has the exclusive designation of passionfruit, without qualification. Within this species, there are two distinct forms, the standard purple, and the yellow, distinguished as P. edulis f. flavicarpa Deg., and differing not only in color but in certain other features as will be noted further on.
General names for both in Spanish are granadilla, parcha, parchita, parchita maracuyá, or ceibey (Cuba); in Portuguese, maracuja peroba; in French, grenadille, or couzou. The purple form may be called purple, red, or black granadilla, or, in Hawaii, lilikoi; in Jamaica, mountain sweet cup; in Thailand, linmangkon. The yellow form is widely known as yellow passionfruit; is called yellow lilikoi in Hawaii; golden passionfruit in Australia; parcha amarilla in Venezuela.
Description
The passionfruit vine is a shallow-rooted, woody, perennial, climbing by means of tendrils. The alternate, evergreen leaves, deeply 3-lobed when mature, are finely toothed, 3 to 8 in (7.5-20 cm) long, deep-green and glossy above, paler and dull beneath, and, like the young stems and tendrils, tinged with red or purple, especially in the yellow form. A single, fragrant flower, 2 to 3 in (5-7.5 cm) wide, is borne at each node on the new growth. The bloom, clasped by 3 large, green, leaflike bracts, consists of 5 greenish-white sepals, 5 white petals, a fringelike corona of straight, white-tipped rays, rich purple at the base, also 5 stamens with large anthers, the ovary, and triple-branched style forming a prominent central structure. The flower of the yellow is the more showy, with more intense color. The nearly round or ovoid fruit, 1 1/2 to 3 in (4-7.5 cm) wide, has a tough rind, smooth, waxy, ranging in hue from dark-purple with faint, fine white specks, to light-yellow or pumpkin-color. It is 1/8 in (3 mm) thick, adhering to a 1/4 in (6 mm) layer of white pith. Within is a cavity more or less filled with an aromatic mass of double-walled, membranous sacs filled with orange-colored, pulpy juice and as many as 250 small, hard, dark-brown or black, pitted seeds. The flavor is appealing, musky, guava-like, subacid to acid.
Varieties
The yellow form has a more vigorous vine and generally larger fruit than the purple, but the pulp of the purple is less acid, richer in aroma and flavor, and has a higher proportion of juice-35-38%. The purple form has black seeds, the yellow, brown seeds.
The following are some of the older cultivars as well as some of the more recent:
'Australian Purple', or 'Nelly Kelly'–a purple selection of mild, sweet flavor, grown in Australia and Hawaii.
'Common Purple'–the form growing naturalized in Hawaii; thick-skinned, with small seed cavity, but of fine flavor and low acidity.
'Kapoho Selection'–a cross of 'Sevcik' and other yellow strains in Hawaii. A heavy bearer of large fruits but subject to brown rot; many fruits contain little or no pulp and the juice has the off-flavor of 'Sevcik' though not as pronounced.
'Pratt Hybrid'–apparently a natural cross between the 'Common Purple' and a yellow strain; subject to rot, but juice is of fine color and flavor, low in acid.
'Sevcik Selection'–a golden form of the yellow selected in Hawaii; a heavy bearer, but subject to brown rot and the juice has a peculiar woody flavor.
'University Round Selection'–Hawaiian crosses of 'Waimanalo' and 'Yee'–fruit smaller than 'Yee'; not as attractive but yields 10% more juice of very good flavor.
'University Selection No. B-74'–a Hawaiian hybrid between 'Pratt' and 'C-77', usually yellow, occasionally with red tinges; resembles 'Waimanalo'; has good juice yield and very good flavor.
'Waimanalo Selection'–consists of 4 strains: 'C-54', 'C-77', 'C-80', of similar size, shape, color and very good flavor, and 'C-39' as pollinator.
'Yee Selection'–yellow, round, very attractive, highly disease-resistant, but fruit has thick rind and low yield of juice which is of very good flavor.
Climate
The purple passionfruit is subtropical. It grows and produces well between altitudes of 2,000 and 4,000 ft (650-1,300 m) in India. In Java, it grows well in lowlands but will flower and fruit only above 3,200 ft (1,000 m). In west-central Florida, at 28º N latitude and slightly above sea-level, 3-year-old vines have survived freezing temperatures with the lower 3 ft (.9 m) of the stems wrapped in fiberglass 4 in (10 cm) thick. The upper parts suffered cold injury, were cut back, the vines were heavily fertilized, recovered rapidly and fruited heavily the second summer thereafter.
The yellow passionfruit is tropical or near-tropical. In Western Samoa, it is grown from near sea-level up to an elevation of 2,000 ft (600 m).
Both forms need protection from wind. Generally, annual rainfall should be at least 35 in (90 cm), but in the Northern Transvaal, in South Africa, there is reduced transpiration because of high atmospheric humidity and commercial culture is carried on with precipitation of only 24 in (60 cm). It is reported that annual rainfall in passionfruit-growing areas of India ranges between 40 and 100 in (100-250 cm).
Seasons and Harvesting
The different flowering seasons of the purple and yellow passionfruits have been mentioned under "Pollination". In some areas, as in India, the vines bear throughout the year but peak periods are, first, August to December, and, second, March to May. At the latter time, the fruits are somewhat smaller, with less juice. In Hawaii, passionfruits mature from June through January, with heaviest crops in July and August and October and November. With variations according to cultivar, and with commercial cultivation both above and below the Equator, there need never be a shortage of raw material for processing.
Ripe fruits fall to the ground and will roll in between mounded rows. They do not attract flies or ants but should be collected daily to avoid spoilage from soil organisms. In South Africa, they are subject to sunburn damage on the ground and, for that reason, are picked from the vines 2 or 3 times a week in the summertime before they are fully ripe, that is, when they are light-purple. At this stage, they will reach the fresh fruit market before they wrinkle. In winter, only one picking per week is necessary. For juice processing, the fruit is allowed to attain a deep-purple color. In India and Israel the fruits are always picked from the vine rather than being allowed to fall. It has been found that fallen fruits are lower in soluble solids, sugar content, acidity and ascorbic acid content.
The fruits should be collected in lugs or boxes, not in bags which will cause "sweating". If not sent immediately to processing plants, the fruits should be spread out on wire racks where there will be good air circulation.
Storage
Underripe yellow passionfruits can be ripened and stored at 68º F (20º C) with relative humidity of 85 to 90%. Ripening is too rapid at 86º F (30º C). Ripe fruits keep for one week at 36º to 45º F (2.22º-7.22º C). Fruits stored in unperforated, sealed, polyethylene bags at 74º F (23.1º C), have remained in good condition for 2 weeks. Coating with paraffin and storing at 41º to 44.6º F (5º to 7º C) and relative humidity of 85 to 90%, has prevented wrinkling and preserved quality for 30 days.
Food Uses
The fruit is of easy preparation. One needs only cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seedy pulp with a spoon. For home use, Australians do not trouble to remove the seeds but eat the pulp with cream and sugar or use it in fruit salads or in beverages, seeds and all. Elsewhere it is usually squeezed through two thicknesses of cheesecloth or pressed through a strainer to remove the seeds. Mechanical extractors are, of course, used industrially. The resulting rich juice, which has been called a natural concentrate, can be sweetened and diluted with water or other juices (especially orange or pineapple), to make cold drinks. In South Africa, passionfruit juice is blended with milk and an alginate; in Australia the pulp is added to yogurt. After primary juice extraction, some processors employ an enzymatic process to obtain supplementary "secondary" juice from the double juice sacs surrounding each seed. The high starch content of the juice gives it exceptional viscosity. To produce a freeflowing concentrate, it is desirable to remove the starch by centrifugal separation in the processing operation.
Passionfruit juice can be boiled down to a sirup which is used in making sauce, gelatin desserts, candy, ice cream, sherbet, cake icing, cake filling, meringue or chiffon pie, cold fruit soup, or in cocktails. The seeded pulp is made into jelly or is combined with pineapple or tomato in making jam. The flavor of passionfruit juice is impaired by heat preservation unless it is done by agitated or "spin" pasteurization in the can. The frozen juice can be kept without deterioration for 1 year at 0º F (-17.78º C) and is a very appealing product. The juice can also be "vacuum-puff" dried or freeze-dried. Swiss processors have marketed a passionfruit-based soft drink called "Passaia" for a number of years in Western Europe. Costa Rica produces a wine sold as "Parchita Seco."
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