dilution Passion fruits are unusual for their relatively high acid content, mainly citric — more than 2% of the pulp weight in purpleskinned types, and double that in most yellow ones — and their strong, penetrating aroma, which appears to be a complex mixture of fruity and flowery notes (esters, peach-like lactones, violet-like ionone), and unusual musky notes (from sulfur compounds like those in black currants and sauvignon blanc wines) Passion fruit pulp is used mainly to make beverages, ices, and sauces, with the milder purple P edulis generally consumed fresh and the stronger yellow P edulis var flavicarpa processed (an early commercial application was Hawaiian punch) Meat-Eating Fruits: The Puzzle of Plant Proteases At first glance, it seems strange that fruits should contain meat-and gelatin-digesting enzymes, the molecules that prevent cooks from making jellies with those raw fruits Of course there are a few carnivorous plants that trap insects and other small creatures in digestive juices And in some plant parts, similar enzymes probably provide protection against attack by insects and larger animals, whose insides they can irritate or injure But fruits are meant to be eaten by animals so that the animals will disperse the plant’s seeds So why fill them with proteases? In the cases of papaya, pineapple, melon, fig, and kiwi, the enzymes may limit the number of fruits that any one animal eats: too many and the animal’s digestive system suffers Another intriguing suggestion is that in moderation, the enzymes actually benefit seeddispersing animals by ridding them of intestinal parasites Some tropical peoples use fig and papaya latex for this purpose, and it’s known that the enzymes do indeed ... with proteases? In the cases of papaya, pineapple, melon, fig, and kiwi, the enzymes may limit the number of fruits that any one animal eats: too many and the animal’s digestive system suffers Another intriguing suggestion is that in moderation,... intriguing suggestion is that in moderation, the enzymes actually benefit seeddispersing animals by ridding them of intestinal parasites Some tropical peoples use fig and papaya latex for this purpose, and it’s known that the enzymes do indeed... raw fruits Of course there are a few carnivorous plants that trap insects and other small creatures in digestive juices And in some plant parts, similar enzymes probably provide protection against attack by insects