Healthy to eat durians, studies show

ENOUGH research has been conducted on durians before marketing it globally.

Agriculture and Agrobased Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek (pix) gave an assurance this will ensure local durians exported to China will not suffer the same fate as palm oil in Europe.

“Based on research done on the nutrition of durians, the fruit has more health benefits compared to imported fruits.

“Durians contain protein, fats, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, vitamin A and C. Overall this is higher than what is in apples, pear and grapes,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.

He said studies have shown that durians does not contribute to illness such as diabetes if taken in moderation.

Ahmad Shabbery said that other studies had shown that durians have aphrodisiac properties and are rich in antioxidants while the skin of the fruit has analgesic and antibiotic properties which can relieve cough symptoms.

He was responding to Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali (BN-Bagan Serai), who asked whether studies have been done on durians, keeping in mind the anti-palm oil campaigns in the West.

“Various studies were conducted at the local and international level to identify the goodness of the fruit.

“Durians do not have saturated fats which raise the level of cholesterol in the body, he said. This has been confirmed by Singapore’s Changi General Hospital.

He said that Malaysia has the technology to preserve durians to ensure longer shelf life which help lower prices.

“We are now adapting to technology that will allow us to sell durians all year long.

Looking at the increase in durian exports, he said it was worth RM74 million last year and is expected to be RM100 million this year.