Articles
Postharvest conservation conditions (temperature, relative humidity, packaging, and treatment) to ensure the quality of pitahaya
Article number
1452_24
Pages
187 – 194
Language
English
Abstract
In the Canary Islands, different cultivars of red pitahaya (Hylocereus spp.) and yellow pitahaya (Selenicereus spp.) are marketed.
One notable cultivar, Hylocereus hybridum, commonly referred to as ‘Dragon’, is known for its rapid and continuous growth and high productivity.
Its fruits are ovoid, with red peel, short green bracts, and red pulp.
Although it is one of the first cultivars to ripen during the year, its bracts are prone to deterioration.
Pitahaya commands a high market price, prompting consumers to seek exceptional quality.
Thus, optimizing postharvest conditions is crucial to meet expectations and boost customer satisfaction.
Common preservation methods include keeping at low temperatures to lower respiration rates, maintaining high humidity to prevent dehydration, and using perforated bags to control respiration and moisture loss.
In this study, 20 fruits from a farm in the south of Tenerife were used for each of the nine treatments applied.
These treatments combined different temperature conditions (8 or 21°C), relative humidity (80 or 40-50%), and the use or non-use of perforated or unperforated bags.
Fruits were characterized at the beginning and end of the storage period, determining total weight, pulp and peel weight, dimensions (length and diameter), peel and pulp color, external and internal firmness, dry matter percentage, total soluble solids content, pH, titratable acidity, respiration rate and percentage of rotten fruit.
The best-preserved fruits were those stored at 8°C and 40-50% relative humidity, with only 25% rotting after 15 days.
Using perforated or non-perforated bags did not improve preservation; fruits rotted in 11 days with non-perforated bags and 13 days with perforated bags.
At ambient temperature, 100% of the fruits were rotten using bags and 70% without them after 7 days of storage.
Despite the dehydration of the bracts, even under low temperature and high humidity conditions, the pulp remained in optimal condition, making it suitable for juice production and other derived products.
One notable cultivar, Hylocereus hybridum, commonly referred to as ‘Dragon’, is known for its rapid and continuous growth and high productivity.
Its fruits are ovoid, with red peel, short green bracts, and red pulp.
Although it is one of the first cultivars to ripen during the year, its bracts are prone to deterioration.
Pitahaya commands a high market price, prompting consumers to seek exceptional quality.
Thus, optimizing postharvest conditions is crucial to meet expectations and boost customer satisfaction.
Common preservation methods include keeping at low temperatures to lower respiration rates, maintaining high humidity to prevent dehydration, and using perforated bags to control respiration and moisture loss.
In this study, 20 fruits from a farm in the south of Tenerife were used for each of the nine treatments applied.
These treatments combined different temperature conditions (8 or 21°C), relative humidity (80 or 40-50%), and the use or non-use of perforated or unperforated bags.
Fruits were characterized at the beginning and end of the storage period, determining total weight, pulp and peel weight, dimensions (length and diameter), peel and pulp color, external and internal firmness, dry matter percentage, total soluble solids content, pH, titratable acidity, respiration rate and percentage of rotten fruit.
The best-preserved fruits were those stored at 8°C and 40-50% relative humidity, with only 25% rotting after 15 days.
Using perforated or non-perforated bags did not improve preservation; fruits rotted in 11 days with non-perforated bags and 13 days with perforated bags.
At ambient temperature, 100% of the fruits were rotten using bags and 70% without them after 7 days of storage.
Despite the dehydration of the bracts, even under low temperature and high humidity conditions, the pulp remained in optimal condition, making it suitable for juice production and other derived products.
Authors
I. Díaz-Marrero, G.L. Díaz-Delgado, E. Dorta, C. Méndez-Hernández, C. Fernández Casanova, M.P. Cano, M.G. Lobo
Keywords
Hylocereus hibridum, bracts, dehydration, bags, respiration
Groups involved
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