Storage of asai (Euterpe precatoria Mart.) fruits harvested at different maturity stages
R.O. Díaz, N.M. Orjuela-Baquero, M. Carrillo, M.S. Hernández, J.P. Fernández-Trujillo
Acta Horticulturae 1016: 137-140.
2014
บทคัดย่อ
Asai is a tropical palm widely distributed in the Amazon and its fruits have a high antioxidant capacity and are also a source of dietary fiber and bioactive compounds. The generation of asai value chains demands the standardization of fresh fruit quality for processing and the establishment of a postharvest system that allows quality preservation and offers regulation. In order to evaluate fruit quality trait evolution during postharvest storage, asai fruits from the Guaviare Department (Colombia) were collected in three successive maturity stages: green, half-ripe and ripe; and stored at 20±2°C. Respiration rate, ethylene production, fresh weight loss and skin color were measured daily. Weight loss increased as time passed, reaching more than 10% on day 6 of storage with no significant difference between the maturity stages. Ethylene production was not detected, nevertheless, skin color changed from green to purple and the respiratory rate increased (lower production in green fruits), suggesting a climacteric pattern.