Introduction

The durian is the fruit that come from several tree species belonging to the genus called
Durio. In Southeast Asia, people used to call “King of Fruits” or “Raja Buah” as it nickname.
About 30 Durio species were recognized, at least nine of them were produce edible fruit, with
over 100 named varieties in Indonesia, 300 in Thailand and 100 in Malaysia. The only species
available in the international market is Durio zibethinus while other species are sold in their local
regions.

The reason why people called durian as “King of Durians” because of the typical durian
is large in size, has strong odour, and thorn-covered skin. The fruit can grow approximately 30
centimeters long and 15 centimeters in diameter. The normal weight of a durian is in a range of 1
to 3 kilograms. Durians also have a various type of shape such as oval, oblong liked shape and
round shape. As we knew, the colour of durian is husk green to brown and its flesh pale yellow
to red, depending on their species.

Some people think that durian has a pleasant sweet fragrance while others think that
durian have very overpowering aroma with an unpleasant odour. The smell will make a deep
appreciation to intense disgust. People who dislikes durian also described the odour as rotten
onions, turpentine and raw sewage. The odour may linger quite long which several days before
the odour disappeared and this led to the fruit’s banishment from the certain hotels, international
places and public transport in the southeast Asia. The nineteenth-century British naturalist,
Alfred Russel Wallace described its flesh as "a rich custard highly flavoured with almonds". The
flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and it is used to flavour a wide variety of
savoury and sweet desserts in southeast Asian cuisines.

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 Scientific Classification

Scientific Name Durio

Kingdom Plantae
Family Malvaceae
Subfamily Helicteroideae
Higher Classification Mallows
Rank Genus
Tribe Durioneae

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 History of Durian
The durian origin is actually from the region of the Borneo and Sumatra but then durian
grows wild in the Malaysia Peninsular and was commonly cultivated in a wide region from India
to New Guinea. About 400 years ago, durian was traded across present-day Myanmar, then was
actively cultivated in Thailand and south of Vietnam.

Niccolo Da Conti who travelled to south-eastern Asian in the 15th century was the earliest
known European reference to the durian. Da Conti said that people of Sumatra has a green fruit
which same size as watermelon but has a thorny skin and they called it as durian inside durian,
there are five things like elongated oranges, and resembling thick butter with a combination of
flavours.

At the early stages of durian taxonomical study, there was some confusion between
durian and soursop because both of these fruits had thorny and green skin. People in Malaysia
called durian Belanda for soursop which mean Dutch durian. In the 18th century, Johann Anton
Weinmann thought that durian is similar to the horse chesnut, so he considered the durian to
belong to Castanaeae.

Description of Durian
Durian trees are large and can grow to 25-50 metres in height depending on the species.
Durian leaves are evergreen, elliptic to oblong and about 10-18 centimeters long. The flowers are
produced in 3-30 clusters together on large branches and directly on the trunk with each flower
having a sepal and five petals. For record, durian trees usually have one or two flowering and
fruiting periods per year but not all durian trees are same. The timing varies depending on the
species, cultivars and localities. A typical durian tree can bear fruit after four or five years and
durian fruit can hang from any branch and matures roughly 3 months after the pollination. For
the fruit, it can grew up to 30 cm long and 15 cm in diameter and typically weighs 1 to 3 kg. Its
shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown and its flesh pale-
yellow to red depending on the species. Among the 30 known species of Durio, 9 of them have
been identified as producing edible fruits. The 9 species that can producing edible fruits are D.

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zibethinus, D. dulcis, D. grandiflorus, D. graveolens, D. kutejensis, durio lowianus, D.
macrantha, D. oxleyanus and D. testudinarius. There are many species for which the fruit has
never been collected or properly examined. However, the other species with edible fruit may
exist. The durian somewhat similar in appearance to the jackfruit as it has green colour and big
size.

The name durian comes from Malay word duri (thorn) together with suffix –an (for
building a noun in Malay). D. zibethinus is the only species commercially cultivated on large
scale and available outside of its native region. Since this species is open-pollinated, it shows
considerable diversity in fruit colour and odour, size of flesh and seed, and tree phenology.

Durian’s tree

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Uses in Culinary
Durian fruit used to flavor a wide variety of sweet edibles such as traditional Malay
candy, ais kacang, dodol, lempuk, rose biscuits, ice cream, milkshakes, mooncakes, Yule logs
and cappuccino. In Indonesia, durian ice cream is a popular dessert. While in Sabah, red durian is
fried with onions and chilli then served as a side dish. Red-fleshed durian is traditionally added
to vegetables, an Indonesian soup with freshwater fish.

In Malaysia, durian also used to make tempoyak refers to fermented durian. Usually
made from lower quality durian unsuitable for direct consumption. Tempoyak can be eaten either
cooked or uncooked. Normally tempoyak eaten with rice. In Pahang, catfish can be either cooked
as tempoyak ikan patin or as pais patin which is a steamed fermented durian paste in banana leaf
container.

In Thailand, durian is often eaten fresh with sweet sticky rice, and blocks of durian
paste are sold in the markets, though much of the paste is adulterated with pumpkin. Unripe
durians may be cooked as a vegetable, except in the Philippines, where all uses are sweet rather
than savoury. Malaysians make both sugared and salted preserves from durian. When durian is
minced with salt, onions and vinegar, it is called boder.

Tempoyak Patin tempoyak

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 Durian crepe

Nutrition
Raw durian is composed of 65% water, 27% carbohydrates(including 4% dietary fibre),
5% fat and 1% protein. In 100 grams, raw or fresh frozen durian provides 33% of the Daily
Value(DV) of thiamine and moderate content of other B vitamins, vitamin C, and the dietary
mineral manganese (15–24% DV.

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 HEALTH BENEFITS OF DURIAN

Like other tropical fruits likes jackfruit, banana and avocado, durian also rich with
energy, vitamins and minerals. It offers phytonutrients, water, beneficial fats and protein. It also
low in cholesterol and sodium which rich in dietary fiber and is a good source of antioxidant
vitamin C. Vitamin c helps scavenge harmful free radical and assists in our body’s resistance
against infection. In addition, durian is good source of vitamins B such as niacin, riboflavin, B5,
B6 and thiamin that through our external sources of body when replenish them. Then, this fruit
also have minerals likes manganese, copper, iron and magnesium. It also has potassium and
essential amino acid tryptophan which these substances can converts in two chemical steps to
serotonin and might be helping in treatment of depression.

The other benefits of durian such as good for digestion, blood pressure and
cardiovascular health, aging (due to its antioxidant properties), insomnia, sexual dysfunction,
cancer, bone health and anemia.

Table 1: Shows the durian nutrition facts.

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Aids in Digestion:

One of the doctors from the Asian Institute of Medical, science and Technology,
Malaysia has recommended that eating durian regularly can improve the digestive process. It is
because durian contains high level of dietary fiber that essential to the normal function of various
systems in the body especially the digestive system. Then, the fiber makes the movement to
increase in bulk which makes it the move ease through the intestinal tract.

Fiber also stimulates peristaltic movement and the secretion of digestive and gastric
juices which then easing the entire process. By decreasing conditions like constipation and
blockage in the intestines, excess flatulence, cramps, problems like bloating, heartburn and
indigestion can be reduced as well as the chronic conditions like colorectal cancer. The good is
much of the fiber in durian insoluble fiber which lowers the frequency of diarrhea for people
with insecure stool.

Hearth Health:

According to Arneida et al. (2018), durian can included in an anti-cardiovascular diet

because the presence of fiber in it. The function of fiber is to reduce the amount of cholesterol in
the blood by sweeping LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) out of the body and quickly remove it
before any damage to the cardiovascular system in the form of plaque buildup.

Reduces Blood Pressure:

According to the Kumolosi et al. (2015), durian does not affect the blood pressure levels
and increasing the heart rate. Besides that, durian also rich of potassium which it is integral part
of salt and fluid balance throughout the cells of the body, it also dictates the blood pressure.
When much of the potassium presence, the blood vessels can relax, reduce stress on the
cardiovascular system and reduce the chances of developing conditions such as atherosclerosis,
heart attacks and strokes. Next, decreasing stress on the veins and arteries help increase the
oxygenated blood flow to the brain and boost cognitive function and memory which lowering the
chance to get Alzheimer’s and dementia.

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Anti-aging Properties:

Durian also often as herbal medicine to battle aging in traditional and was the one of the
factor why people called durian “king of fruits”. It turns out that durian has antioxidant
properties stemming from its vitamin and organic chemical makeup which actively decreases the
number of free radicals in the body.

In addition, eating a lot of durian can seriously increase our body’s ability to eliminate
those free radicals which reducing the possibility of premature aging and delaying the
appearance of various symptoms likes wrinkles, age spots, macular degeneration, tooth
loosening, cancer, hair loss and heart diseases.

Cures Insomnia:

From the research study of peer-reviewed journal Medicine, tryptophan is helpful in

reduce sleep disorders. It known as the organic chemical closely related with falling asleep.
Durian fruit also happens to contain this somniferous amino acid. Then, tryptophan enters our
brain and gets converted to serotonin that induces a feeling of relaxation and happiness. The
excess serotonin then releases melatonin into the bloodstream which causes the body to feel tired
and finally pass out.

Treats Sexual Dysfunction:

A number of studies have recently been conducted to evaluate the potential of durian to
act as an aphrodisiac. Research at Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences reveals that
durian acts as a fertility-enhancing agent. From that result, durian can identified to produce
intensified sexual libido and stamina and also lower the chances of infertility in men and woman
and increase sperm motility.

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Prevents Cancer:

Durian also has a wealth of vitamins, nutrients and organic compounds that function as
anti-oxidants. In the battle against cancer, free radicals are really important because during cell
metabolism, there are byproducts called free radicals. These free radicals functioning as
destroying the DNA of regular cells and converts them to cancer cells that can form fatal,
tumorous growths. All of the antioxidants which reduce oxidative stress on the organs of the
body are bonuses to the immune system as durian is packed with the antioxidants including
vitamin C, vitamin B complex and vitamin E as well as phytonutrients that reduce cancerous
cells.

Improves Bone Health:

Durian is a great source of copper, manganese, potassium and magnesium which each all
of that play an important role in developing and sustaining bone strength and durability.
Potassium also increases the efficiency of nutrient uptake by cells. So, it maximizes many
benefits of minerals the body takes in while also improving bone health. These essential minerals
can help to stop the development of osteoporosis.

Treats Anemia:

Furthermore, durian also contains different minerals but there are high levels of folic acid
within durian which is an essential component in the production of red blood cells. Next, durian
is a good source of iron and copper that other components of red blood cells. Once red blood
cells development is back to normal, symptoms of anemia will disappear which include anxiety,
fatigue, cognitive malfunction and indigestion.

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 SIDE EFFECTS OF EATING DURIAN

Besides the benefits of durian, there are also side effects when eating durian if take in a lot of
amount. The side effects of durian as below:

1) Durian Cause High Cholesterol

Consume durian can cause a rise in cholesterol. This delicious fruit contains enormous
amounts of cholesterol, so for those who have a history of cholesterol should not eat the
fruit is too much. High cholesterol and uric acid can lead to complications. Well, this is a
fatal complication for health.

2) Side Effects of Durian Causes Diabetes

Furthermore, the side effects of eating durian are the cause of diabetes. Durian contains
sugar so much that eating durian in large quantities can cause a rise in blood sugar and
lead to diabetes. So, for those who have a history of diabetes should not consume this
fruit.
3) Durian Can Cause Miscarriage
The fetus in the womb is not able to withstand excessive heat. If pregnant women eat
durian, the effect on the stomach will be hot. Excessive heat will lead to fetal death. High
alcohol content causes the burning sensation at the womb. High alcohol levels are also
found in jack fruit and pineapple. It makes pregnant women should minimize the
consumption of all the fruit.

4) Side Effects of Durian Causes Heart Disease

Many factors lead to heart disease. One is to consume durian in significant amounts. For
those who suffer from heart disease, eating durian very fatal consequences, because it can
aggravate heart problems. The alcohol content and high cholesterol in the durian cause
uncontrolled heartbeats. So for people with heart disease should not be too fond of this
delicious fruit.

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5) Durian Cause of Death in Patients with Hypertension
Patients with hypertension often have complications with heart disease. The alcohol
content in durian fruit can raise the blood pressure of hypertensive patients. Blood
pressure rises would trigger a faster heart rate and heart disease suddenly. Blood pressure
monitor which is often located on top of the 200 will lead to heart disease. If the blood
pressure and heart attack simultaneously, the effect of the death could have occurred.

6) Characteristically Lethal When Mixed with Alcohol

The side effects of eating durian can also be deadly. It occurs when mixed with alcohol.
Alcohol meets alcohol will produce sulfur. Sulfur that goes into a person’s body will
decrease metabolism and immune system of an individual, even if the amount of sulfur in
the body very much will cause death. Sulfur is a substance that should not be entered into
the human body because it can cause death.

7) Indigestion Until Death

Other beverages may not be accompanied by durian is coffee. Coffee and alcoholic
beverages are very dangerous when combined with durian. Coffee is a beverage that can
raise blood pressure. Mixing coffee with durian can cause complications. In addition,
durian should also not be mixed with soda because if it is often done to make a person
affected by digestive disorders. Digestive problems in the long run will make the
intestines and stomach hurt even perforated. Intestines and stomach cavities can lead to
death.

8) The Disorder Causes the Kidneys to Death

The side effects of eating durian cause kidney disorders. Durian there is a substance in
the ethanol, methanol and ethyl metacrylate as well as in the form of sulfur or sulfur
compounds. Danger of ethanol and methanol have also been very concerned for the
health. For kidney patients, all of these substances is not very good because the kidneys
are not able to describe all such substances.

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 REFERENCES

1. "Durian". Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper. 2018. Retrieved 18

August 2018.
2. "Durio L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of
Agriculture. 2007-03-12. Retrieved 2010-02-16
3. "Comprehensive List of Durian Clones Registered by the Agriculture Department (of
Malaysia)". Durian OnLine. Archived from the original on 2007-04-07. Retrieved 2006-
03-05.
4. Top 8 benefits of durian. Retrieved from:
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-durian.html
5. 9 side effects of eating durian. Retrieved from:
https://www.thealthbenefitsof.com/9-side-effects-of-eating-durian/
6. Kumolosasi, E., Siew Gyn, T., Mansor, A. H., Makmor Bakry, M., Azmi, N., & Jasamai,
M. (2016). Effects of Durian Intake on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Healthy
Individuals. International journal of food properties, 19(7), 1483-1488.
7. Husin, N. A., Rahman, S., Karunakaran, R., & Bhore, S. J. (2018). A review on the
nutritional, medicinal, molecular and genome attributes of Durian (Durio zibethinus L.),
the King of fruits in Malaysia. Bioinformation, 14(6), 265.

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