José Régulo Cartagena Valenzuela

Physico-chemical properties of the soursop fruit (Annona muricata L. cv. Elita) in postharvest

Fruit consumption is increasing around the world as well as its population. The World Health Organization recommends a minimum consumption of 120 kg fruit/person/year. Fruits such as soursop provide nutrients, phytochemicals and antioxidants which are vital to human health, as well as bioactive substances such as vitamin C, flavonoids, anthocyanins and carotenoids, among others. In this research, soursop (Annona muricata L. cv. Elita) fruits were collected at physiological maturity in two production seasons for their physiological (respiration rate, ethylene production and physiological loss of weight) and physico-chemical characterization (pulp, seeds and skin yield, total soluble solids (TSS), total acidity, pH and firmness). We found that ethylene production peaked at day 6 after-harvest with a value of 133.2 uL kg-1 h-1. This parameter was found to be increasing during postharvest, with peaks on days 4 and 6, coinciding with the climacteric peaks of biphasic respiration, the largest of which reached a value of 186.9 mg CO2 kg-1 h-1. This is probably the starter for the cascade of events that feature the ripening process, among which changes in TSS, acidity and fruit firmness were outstandingly visible.