How to choose A Good DURIAN

Durian is an expensive fruit, if not the most expensive.
Thus buying durian is a very risky transaction.
Unless you are enhanced with x-ray vision, then, some basic knowledge and skill are needed while selecting and buying durians.

Here are few simple tips I picked up over the years :

Follow your nose
The overpowering, repugnant odor is most essential in durian as the King of tropical fruits .
Durian without the pungent smell, or anything less should be out of consideration .

Some varieties are good, but with less smell . But there are not many of that out there.
A good durian can be smell miles away, or should I say, as long as the durian has nice smell, it’s a good durian !
Safest way is of cause don’t try your luck ! Anyway, luck has nothing to do with it.
It is always better safe than sorry !

The pungent odoriferous flavour of the durian can be categorized into 4 main flavour profiles :
1.Pungency due to sulphur compounds, eg n-propyl mercaptan, dimethyl disulphide ,
2.Fruitiness due to aromatic esters, eg n-butyl acetate, ethyl butyrate ,
3.Creaminess, eg diacetyl, gamma- & delta-lactones ,
4.Green notes due to aldehydes and alcohols, eg cis-3-hexenol, trans-2-hexenol
( Lim TK, 1993, DURIAN Diseases and Disorders, Tropical Press Sdn Bhd, KL )



Look hard

# Avoid de-formed fruit – deformed means less edible pulp, more husk.

# Look for fruit with nice sharp tip – blunt or damaged tip may indicate the fruit had been handled numerous time, why can’t sell? Don’t pay for the answer.  

# Don’t buy fruit with cracked skin – cracked skin means over-ripe !  besides, the cracks may may cause bacteria contamination, which in turn cause food poisoning.

# Don’t share with insect borer – some say the insect knows a good durian, I think insect mana tahu pilih ?

# Reject diseased fruit – fungi and bacteria infested fruit, buat apa beli ?



Shake it !
Hold the fruit close to you ear, shake it, listen for a shaky sound . ( don't be too gentle with it.  shake harder )

( don't be a sissy ! off the gloves ! )

The sound indicate that the fruit is nicely ripen.
Both under-ripe and over-ripe fruit will not have the shaky sound.  Unripe fruit will have its pulp firmly attached to the inner husk, while the over-ripe pulp will be too soft to have the shaky effect .

Durian fruit exhibits a characteristic climacteric pattern in respiration and ethylene production. The ripening of durian indicated by they pulp becoming soft, creamy and sweet, with the presence of the strong odour and flavour typical of the fruit ( Tongdee, et al, 1988, Effects of harvest maturity on respiration, ethylene, production and the composition of internal atmospheres of durian, In Proceeding of Seminar on Durian, Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research, Bangkok )