Red-fleshed dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) is a promising food with a functional appeal. This study investigated the changes in the bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of the red-fleshed dragon fruit at eight development stages. In general, the levels of total phenolic compounds tested using Folin-Ciocalteu, and Fast Blue BB reagents, betacyanin, betaxanthin, anthocyanins, and antioxidant activity by TEAC, FRAP, and ß-carotene bleaching increased over the fruit development stages, whereas vitamin C content significantly decreased. Six phenolic compounds were identified, including catechin, vanillin, gallic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and ferulic acid. Catechin was the majority compound, followed by vanillin. All these compounds decreased during fruit development; chlorogenic and ferulic acids were only detected 30 days after anthesis. Based on the results, the suitable harvest period of red-fleshed dragon fruit is between 36 and 38 days after anthesis.

红肉火龙果（Hylocereus polyrhizus）是一种具有功能吸引力的有前途的食物。本研究调查了红肉火龙果在八个发育阶段的生物活性化合物和抗氧化活性的变化。一般来说，使用 Folin-Ciocalteu 和固蓝 BB 试剂测试的总酚类化合物的水平，TEAC、FRAP 和 ß-胡萝卜素漂白产生的甜菜青素、甜菜红素、花青素和抗氧化活性在果实发育阶段增加，而维生素 C 含量显着降低。鉴定出六种酚类化合物，包括儿茶素、香草醛、没食子酸、咖啡酸、绿原酸和阿魏酸。儿茶素是主要化合物，其次是香兰素。所有这些化合物在果实发育过程中都减少了；绿原酸和阿魏酸仅在开花后 30 天检测到。结果表明，红肉火龙果的适宜采收期为花后36～38天。