Definition:

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PulpJuica®Red dragon fruit powder is made from fresh pitaya (red-fleshed variety) through washing, peeling, pulping, and drying (using spray drying, freeze drying, and other processes) to form a powdered product. It retains the key nutrients and natural color of red pitaya and is easy to store, dissolve, and use, making it a natural and healthy food ingredient and nutritional supplement.

Particularities of PulpJuica®Red dragon fruit powder:

Product Specifications:

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Product quality standards:

● Food grade, In-house

PulpJuica®Red dragon fruit powder Applications:

■ Source

Richtek prioritizes highly adaptable varieties, selecting red-fleshed pitaya with vibrant flesh (deep purple-red), high sugar content (soluble solids ≥12%), rich flavor, and fine fiber. These varieties not only contain higher levels of betalains (the core pigment) and nutrients (vitamins, dietary fiber, etc.), but also boast superior color and flavor when processed into powder. They prioritize varieties suited to the local climate and soil conditions to avoid deterioration in fruit quality due to environmental incompatibility.The raw materials used by Richtek are all sourced from audited cooperative planting bases, enabling batch tracking throughout the entire process from raw materials to finished products, and supporting a traceability system.

PulpJuica®Red dragon fruit powder is available in the following specification and contents:

☑  PulpJuica®Red dragon fruit powder (Freeze drying/Spray drying), organic available

PulpJuica®Red dragon fruit powder is widely used in many fields due to its natural color, rich nutrition and convenience. It can not only enhance the functionality of the product but also add unique value.

In the food and beverage industry, red dragon fruit powder naturally enhances product appeal. As a natural colorant, it can replace artificial pigments, imparting a soft, natural pink to purple hue to cakes, breads, cookies, macarons, and more. Its subtle fruity aroma enhances both appearance and flavor. Adding it to dairy products not only enriches the texture (by adding a fine grain or smoothness) but also provides dietary fiber, making desserts healthier and meeting the needs of consumers seeking a more affordable alternative. Red dragon fruit powder can be used directly as a solid beverage, mixing it with warm water, milk, or sparkling water to create a convenient, natural fruit drink perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea, or post-workout hydration and nutrition. When combined with oatmeal powder, chia seeds, or nut powders to create meal replacement shakes, the dietary fiber enhances satiety, while ingredients like betalains boost antioxidant properties. When mixed with grain powders to create energy bars, oatmeal crisps, or added to protein bars, it increases fiber content and improves the chewiness, while its natural color enhances shelf appeal. As a children's food additive, it can be mixed into rice flour, noodles or fruit puree to supplement vitamins and minerals, and stimulate children's appetite with its bright colors, making it more acceptable to parents.

Health supplements and functional foods focus on health and leverage their nutritional properties. PulpJuica®Red dragon fruit powder, rich in both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, can be made into individually packaged dietary fiber supplements to help promote intestinal motility and regulate bacterial balance, making it suitable for sedentary individuals or those suffering from constipation. Betalains, a potent antioxidant, can be combined with grape seed extract, vitamin C, and other ingredients to create antioxidant capsules or tablets, helping to scavenge free radicals and slow aging. Red pitaya powder contains plant-based albumin that binds heavy metals, making it suitable for use in detoxifying meal replacements and functional solid beverages for those seeking to detoxify.

PulpJuica®Red dragon fruit powder is used in cosmetics and daily chemical applications. Its natural activity enhances product value. It can be added to pet food, canned food, or snacks as a natural nutritional additive to supplement dietary fiber and vitamins, helping regulate intestinal function. Its vibrant color can increase pets' interest in food, addressing some pets' picky eating habits, and its natural ingredients are also beneficial to pet health.

■ Active ingredients

PulpJuica®Red dragon fruit powder retains the core nutrients of pitaya, boasting a rich and unique nutritional profile, including vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and unique bioactive ingredients. Red pitaya powder is high in vitamin C, a key antioxidant that promotes collagen synthesis, boosts immunity, and aids iron absorption. Red pitaya powder also contains vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), and B6, which participate in energy metabolism and maintain a healthy nervous system and skin. Carotene, a vitamin A precursor, helps protect vision and maintain epithelial health, while also possessing some antioxidant properties.

PulpJuica®Red dragon fruit powder is relatively high in iron among fruits. Iron, a key component of hemoglobin, helps prevent iron-deficiency anemia. It also contains calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. Red pitaya powder also contains water-soluble dietary fiber, such as pectin, which absorbs water, slows blood sugar levels, and promotes the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria. Insoluble dietary fiber promotes intestinal motility, increases stool bulk, prevents constipation, and maintains intestinal health.

Betalain, a natural pigment unique to red pitaya, is a potent antioxidant that scavenges free radicals, reduces oxidative damage, and imparts its vibrant purple-red color. Plant-derived albumin, a viscous, gelatinous substance, binds to heavy metal ions in the body and excretes them, providing a detoxifying effect.

■ Production technology characteristics

The production process of PulpJuica®Red dragon fruit powder is the core link that determines its quality (such as nutrient retention, color, flavor, and solubility). It needs to go through multiple delicate processes to ensure that the nutritional components and natural characteristics of the raw materials are retained to the greatest extent.

Fresh red dragon fruit arrives at the washing area via a conveyor belt. Surface sand and impurities are rinsed with running water, followed by gentle scrubbing with a food-grade brush to remove residual dust and pesticides. After washing, the fruit undergoes manual or machine sorting to remove deformed, damaged, diseased, and underripe/overripe fruit to ensure raw material uniformity. Mechanical or manual peeling (for high-end products) is used to remove the thick outer skin and scales (which are coarse, have a poor taste, and may contain a small amount of astringent substances). The peeled flesh is then cut into uniformly thick slices (usually 3-5mm) or small pieces to ensure uniform heating during the subsequent drying process, shortening drying time and minimizing nutrient loss.

Color protection and enzyme inactivation are key processes, with soaking and steam inactivation being common methods. The betalain pigment in red pitaya is easily degraded by high temperatures, strong light, and pH, necessitating color protection to maintain its vibrant purple-red color. Drying removes moisture from the pulp (the final moisture content is typically controlled below 5%) to facilitate crushing and storage. There are two main processes.

Freeze drying (lyophilization) involves rapidly freezing the fruit pulp to below -30°C, causing the water to crystallize into ice. Sublimation then converts the ice directly into water vapor under vacuum, completing the drying process. The low temperature maximizes the retention of heat-sensitive components such as vitamins, betalains, and dietary fiber. The dried fruit pulp has a loose texture, is easily crushed, rehydrates easily, and has a flavor similar to fresh fruit. This method, while requiring high equipment costs and a long production cycle, is suitable for the production of high-end red pitaya powder.

The spray drying method first pulverizes the fruit pulp into a fine pulp (which can be filtered to remove a small amount of coarse fiber). The pulp is then pumped into a spray drying tower. Under high temperature and pressure, the pulp is atomized into tiny droplets. Upon contact with hot air, the water evaporates instantly, forming a powder. This method offers high production efficiency (large batch sizes) and low costs, making it suitable for large-scale industrial production. The high temperature of this method may lead to the loss of some heat-sensitive nutrients (such as vitamin C), and the pigment stability is slightly lower than that of freeze-dried products. The powder particles are finer and the solubility is better.

The dried fruit pulp (in block form after freeze-drying, in a fine powder form after spray-drying) is pulverized in an ultra-fine grinder to a uniform powder (usually controlled at 80-120 mesh to ensure a smooth, grain-free taste). It is then sieved through a vibrating screen to remove coarse particles and impurities, ensuring a consistent powder size.

☑  PulpJuica®Red dragon fruit slice, organic available