New UF Research Unlocks the Nutritional Value and Shelf-Life Potential of Passion Fruit

Jul 17, 2025

By Brad Buck

With passion fruit, you get more than just a tasty drink or snack. It’s packed with nutrients like vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants, making it a popular choice for healthier eating.

It’s also important to farmers in tropical and subtropical regions – including central, Southeast and Southwest Florida – where it supports local economies.

Understanding how varieties of passion fruit stay fresh after they’re harvested can help reduce waste, improve nutrition and make sure consumers enjoy the fruit and its health benefits, said Tie Liu, an associate professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).

Liu led a newly published study in which he and his colleagues wanted to find out why some varieties of passion fruit stay fresh longer than others.

In the study, scientists examined three kinds of passion fruit and used special lab processes – called metabolomics to measure natural chemicals like sugars, acids and flavors, inside their juice.

“These tools help us see what’s in the fruit on a tiny scale by measuring hundreds of different natural chemicals that affect how the fruit tastes, smells, its nutrition level and how long it stays fresh,” Liu said.

Researchers found that one variety, called Passiflora ligularis – or orange passion fruit stayed fresh the longest. It also had low acidity, more vitamin C and flavonoids, all of which help protect the fruit from spoiling.

Source : ufl.edu

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The United States has more than 895 million acres of farmland, which includes all rural land tied to farming operations, from highly fertile Midwest cornfields to vast grazing ranges in the West, as well as the undeveloped rural land, which is often sold as ranches, homesteads, or uncultivated lots. Nowadays investing in rural land is very lucrative even billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett have bought up thousands of acres of farmland across America. In contrast to investors, agricultural companies, and business moguls, some buy farmland for their own requisites, like starting a small farmstead, creating a cottage, and becoming self-resilient. In this video we have ranked the top cheapest states to buy farmland according to the per-acre land value, which is accumulated from the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s per-acre land values come from an annual survey, which is cross-checked with actual sales data, appraisals, and market trends to ensure accuracy. So here are The top Cheapest States to Buy Farmland.