Abstract
Physicochemical changes during postharvest ripening of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill. ‘Madeira’), were investigated to follow the principal modifications occurring during this process and to determine nutritional value. Fruit harvested at the mature green stage were analyzed during ripening using standard methods. Significant (P<0.05) changes in chlorophyll, starch, titratable acidity, total free sugars and uronic acids were obtained, but no significant changes were found in ash, protein, lignin and lipid contents during ripening. The most obvious changes were chlorophyll degradation, an accentuated decrease of starch and an increase in total free sugars, with glucose the predominant sugar in the mesocarp, as revealed by GC analyses. Firmness loss was mainly attributed to depolymerization of pectin and lipid deterioration rather than hemicellulose degradation. Results also showed that the cherimoya variety evaluated in this study is a good source of minerals (mainly potassium), palmitic acid, linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid and sitosterol.
Highlights
The consumption of tropical and subtropical fruit is increasing worldwide (FAO, 2012), with consumer demand for new tastes
The cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) is a soft subtropical fruit well adapted to the edaphoclimatic conditions of Madeira Island
As the chemical composition depends on the cultivar, environmental conditions and on the ripe stage of the fruit, the present study aimed to evaluate the main chemical changes that occurs on the mesocarp of cherimoya ‘Madeira’ which are essentially related to fruit quality
Summary
The consumption of tropical and subtropical fruit is increasing worldwide (FAO, 2012), with consumer demand for new tastes. The tender skin and the short shelf-life, 5–7 days, makes the fruit vulnerable to physical injuries after harvesting, during handling, transport and marketing, restricting its commercialization. To extend the postharvest life of this fruit, they can be stored either at low temperature, which usually leads to chilling injury below 10 ◦C (Alique et al, 1994), depending on the cultivar, or under controlled modified atmosphere (Alique and Oliveira, 1994). This is a common practice nowadays, it results in severe
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