Behavior of arazá (Eugenia stipitata Mc Vaugh) fruit quality traits during growth, development and ripening

Abstract

The period between fruit set and full ripening of arazá fruit grown in the Colombian Amazonia was 55 ± 5 days. Three stages of a sigmoidal growth were identified and longitudinal and equatorial traits fitted a logistic model better than three-degree polynomial models. Fruit growth clearly exhibited three different physiological stages, identified as follows: S1, involving cellular division during the first 14 days; S2, maximum fruit growth, during which cellular expansion took place (up to day 50), and a final S3 state of 5 days to reach physiological maturity. After this time, the fruit can be harvested with a dull green coloration. Parenchyma was the principal fruit tissue, and no support tissues (sclerenchyma or collenchyma) were evident. The respiratory pattern of arazá fruit was climacteric, with maximum respiration rates of around 200 mg CO2 kg−1 h−1, preceded by a peak of ethylene production (20 μL C4H4 kg−1 h−1), a change in skin color from green to yellow, a total soluble solids value of 5°Brix, an increase in the sucrose and fructose content up to 2.8 μmol g−1, a pH which increased to 3 units, and a decrease in titratable acidity to 400 mmol H+ L1−. Malic acid was the main organic acid in the edible pulp and ascorbic acid was present in a concentration of 17.8 μmol g−1. Skin color (as measured by hue angle) combined with titratable acidity and fruit firmness can be recommended as harvest indices for arazá fruit.