Articles
Postharvest characteristics of parthenocarpic prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L. (Mill.))
Article number
1458_47
Pages
357 – 362
Language
English
Abstract
Opuntia ficus-indica L. (Mill.) produces edible fruits called prickly pear or cactus pear; they have a pleasant flavor and nutritional value and may therefore be considered a functional fruit.
Prickly pear production offers an option for fruit-growing areas facing water scarcity; however, per capita consumption of this fruit worldwide is low compared to other fruits due to its short shelf life and numerous hard seeds.
In recent years, parthenocarpic cultivars of prickly pear have been developed, with attractive colors, flavor similar to the original, and with aborted seeds that are almost imperceptible to the consumer.
However, its postharvest behavior has not been documented.
Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the postharvest characteristics of prickly pear fruits of the ‘CPTF20-Red’ and ‘CPTF30-Yellow’ cultivars naturally fertilized with their parthenocarpic counterpart.
For the study, between 50 and 60 fruits of each cultivar and condition were harvested at horticultural maturity, the analyses were carried out on pulp and pericarpel, and the data were analyzed under a completely randomized design.
It was observed that parthenocarpy mainly affects the morphological characteristics of the fruits, as they are smaller, have thicker pericarps, and have a lower stomatal frequency than those from naturally fertilized fruits.
In contrast, parthenocarpic fruit has double shelf life and significantly less weight loss compared to the fruits obtained by normal fertilization.
The parthenocarpic fruits ‘CP20TF’ and ‘CP30TF’ presented a higher concentration of betacyanins (18.4 mg 100 g 1 PF for CP20TF-P) in pulp.
The sugar-acid ratio in the fruits ranged from 70 to 75, with the parthenocarpic ‘CP30TF’ fruits having the highest ratio and rated as having the best flavor.
Parthenocarpic fruits can be a viable option for commercial production due to their longer shelf life, lower weight loss, and higher concentrations of some compounds such as carotenoids, betaxanthins, betacyanins, and vitamin C.
Prickly pear production offers an option for fruit-growing areas facing water scarcity; however, per capita consumption of this fruit worldwide is low compared to other fruits due to its short shelf life and numerous hard seeds.
In recent years, parthenocarpic cultivars of prickly pear have been developed, with attractive colors, flavor similar to the original, and with aborted seeds that are almost imperceptible to the consumer.
However, its postharvest behavior has not been documented.
Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the postharvest characteristics of prickly pear fruits of the ‘CPTF20-Red’ and ‘CPTF30-Yellow’ cultivars naturally fertilized with their parthenocarpic counterpart.
For the study, between 50 and 60 fruits of each cultivar and condition were harvested at horticultural maturity, the analyses were carried out on pulp and pericarpel, and the data were analyzed under a completely randomized design.
It was observed that parthenocarpy mainly affects the morphological characteristics of the fruits, as they are smaller, have thicker pericarps, and have a lower stomatal frequency than those from naturally fertilized fruits.
In contrast, parthenocarpic fruit has double shelf life and significantly less weight loss compared to the fruits obtained by normal fertilization.
The parthenocarpic fruits ‘CP20TF’ and ‘CP30TF’ presented a higher concentration of betacyanins (18.4 mg 100 g 1 PF for CP20TF-P) in pulp.
The sugar-acid ratio in the fruits ranged from 70 to 75, with the parthenocarpic ‘CP30TF’ fruits having the highest ratio and rated as having the best flavor.
Parthenocarpic fruits can be a viable option for commercial production due to their longer shelf life, lower weight loss, and higher concentrations of some compounds such as carotenoids, betaxanthins, betacyanins, and vitamin C.
Authors
B.K. Flores-Hernández, M.L. Arévalo-Galarza, M. Livera-Muñoz, A. Martínez-Hernández, C.B. Peña-Valdivia, G. Calderón-Zavala
Keywords
shelf life, pigments, pericarpel
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