The Golden Diamond pineapples hail from Guanmiao District in Taiwan’s Tainan City, arguably the country’s most famous pineapple production location due to its hilly terrain, acidic red sandy soil, abundant sunlight and naturally suitable irrigation conditions for pineapple planting.
This variant is vastly different from MD2 pineapples which are the most common variant found in Singapore – Golden Diamond pineapples are finer in texture, contain less fibre, are sweeter and juicier in taste, and also have a soft, fully edible core.
According to Taipei Economic & Cultural Office Consular Division Director Wu Wen-ling, these characteristics have helped Golden Diamond pineapples stand out significantly amidst Taiwan’s over 20 variants of pineapples due to both taste and versatility.
“One key example of its versatility can be seen in terms of consuming it as a juice – if one tried to just juice down MD2 pineapples and drink this directly without adding other juices or something to sweeten it, the consequences would not be pleasant as the level of sourness would be very extreme,” Wu told the floor at a recent event promoting the launch.
“Golden Diamond pineapples are different as the juice can be drank as-is and the fruit can be eaten as-is without sweetening or mixing with other juices, greatly enhancing the benefits from the pineapple itself.
“There are also numerous other forms of consumption for this fruit due to its natural sweetness, from dried fruit to an ingredient in a fried rice, as the main component of a dessert and many more.”
This was seconded by Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che who further expounded on the potential commercial uses of this fruit, particularly in the bakery and snacking sectors.
“Pineapple cakes are one of Taiwan’s most famous souvenir items, but even in the Singapore context there are many other formats in the food manufacturing sector where pineapple plays an important role,” Huang said.
“This includes polo buns and the Chinese New Year mainstay pineapple tarts; the use of pineapples on Hawaiian pizzas which is one of the most popular pizza flavours in this market; and the production of pineapple enzymes which are well-known for health benefits.
NTUC FairPrice Singapore Director Kwok Ka Chun added that the unique flavour of the Golden Diamond pineapples have strong potential to appeal to local tastebuds, and that local consumers are well versed in recognising what good quality tastes like.
“These pineapples are indeed different in terms of flavour, and this is very important in Singapore as local consumers are very well-travelled and know good quality when they taste it,” he told the floor.
“Many Singaporeans go to Taiwan regularly for holiday and are familiar with local flavours and what good local quality tastes like, so when they demand this same quality of food products, fruits or any other products back in Singapore, they know what to expect.
“FairPrice intends to meet these demands with these sorts of partnerships with international food firms, and hope to bring more types of these high quality fruits into Singapore.”
Sweet research
According to data from Golden Diamond pineapple producer Natural House, this variant was the result of over two years of research and exports are tested based on Japanese food standards.
“Random testing of every batch of these pineapples shows a sweetness of 17.1 [on the Brix scale], and the amount of bromelain enzyme is generally lower so there is less tendency for the tongue to feel ‘cuts’ after consumption like regular pineapples,” Natural House Vice President Carrie Wong told us.
“We have our own specialist farmers that have many years of experience in the cultivation and harvesting of these pineapples, so we can ensure every batch is at the right ripeness, sweetness and overall quality to meet the highest export standards.
“Singapore consumers have a penchant for sweet fruits such as mangoes and dragonfruits, and we believe that this is a good tie-in with our pineapples as these are sweeter than the average MD2 variants and increases the potential for buy-in locally.”
The Golden Diamond pineapples will be available in various NTUC FairPrice outlets starting April 19 2025, with accompanying roadshows and sampling sessions to promote the launch.
