The Passionfruits are generally with the shape round or ovoid, about 4 to 7.5 cm wide, with a tough rind, smooth, waxy, color ranging in hue from dark-purple with faint - fine white specks - light-yellow or pumpkin-color. Inside of the fruit is cavity which is filled with an aromatic mass of double-walled, membranous sacs filled with orange-colored, pulpy juice and as many as 250 small - hard - black - pitted seeds. The flavor is appealing, musky and similar to guava-like.The pulp of the mature fruit can be eaten fresh, directly from the shell with a spoon or after a little sugar has been added. The most popular use of this fruit is preparing a refreshing drink, by blending the fruit pulp with ice, water, sugar, and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. Passionfruits are high in vitamin A, potassium, and dietary fiber. The juice is an excellent source of vitamin C.
A sirup is prepared by boiling down the fruit, 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 can be made into jelly or they can be combined with pineapple/ tomato in making jam. The frozen juice can be kept about 1 year without deterioration if maintained at 0'F (-17.78'C), and is a very appealing product.
The oil prepared from the seeds of the Passionfruits, which is also similar to sunflower and soybean oil and accordingly has edible as well as industrial uses.
The rinds are chopped, dried, and combined with molasses as cattle or pig feed. They can also be converted into silage.
Passionfruits are considered in the pharmaceutical industries, in the use of the glycoside, passiflorine, and as a sedative or tranquilizer.
In Madeira, the passionfruits juice is given as a digestive stimulant and the treatment for gastric cancer.
Passionfruits are native to southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina and now being cultivated widely in New Zealand, the Caribbean, Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Hawaii, California, southern Florida, Australia, Israel, South Africa and East Africa.
