Quality and conservation postharvest on fruit of passion in storage

Abstract

The passion fruit is a highly perishable fruit after its shutdown of the plant, which predisposes to rapid dehydration accompanied pericarp of wilting, thus reducing maintenance and marketing period. Given the above, the aim of the present study was evaluate the quality and postharvest of the passion fruit conservation in storage, thus verifying the period related to shelf life of the product. There were evaluated the harvested of passion fruit in the physiological state of early maturing, healthy and without external defects or injury. Developed the experiment and phytopathological identification between April and May/2014 in Unioeste, PR, Brazil. Eight fruits were packed in trays (not packaged with plastic wrap), and eight fruits in trays (packaged with plastic wrap). Assessments occurred at intervals of seven days over a period of 21 days. The experimental design was completely randomized, containing split plot and 3 repetitions. They evaluated the fresh weight of the fruit, peel and pulp, roughness of bark and incidence of diseases, total acidity, soluble solids and pH. Physical fruit quality was assessed according to the loss of fresh biomass and pulp. The passion fruit packaged presents less rough fifteen days after the harvest and better fresh weight of soluble solids and pulp. Higher occurrence of fungi and bacteria occurred in the passion fruit packed. The passion fruit unpackaged gradually reduce the sugar content and acidity, as well as the fresh weight of fruits and pulp, within fifteen days after harvest.