Asai is a tropical palm widely distributed in the Amazon and its fruits have a high antioxidant capacity and are also a source of dietary fiber and bioactive compounds. The generation of asai value ...chains demands the standardization of fresh fruit quality for processing and the establishment of a postharvest system that allows quality preservation and offers regulation. In order to evaluate fruit quality trait evolution during postharvest storage, asai fruits from the Guaviare Department (Colombia) were collected in three successive maturity stages: green, half-ripe and ripe; and stored at 20±2°C. Respiration rate, ethylene production, fresh weight loss and skin color were measured daily. Weight loss increased as time passed, reaching more than 10% on day 6 of storage with no significant difference between the maturity stages. Ethylene production was not detected, nevertheless, skin color changed from green to purple and the respiratory rate increased (lower production in green fruits), suggesting a climacteric pattern.
Cocona is an Amazonian fruit with applications in the agri-food, cosmetic and nutraceutical industries. To preserve cocona quality, some postharvest-decay delaying treatments were evaluated. Cold ...temperature + waxing treatments were assessed in three morphotypes (small-rounded, elliptical and giant) that were collected in the mature state (yellow color on 75% of total fruit surface) in the Guaviare Department, Colombia. A Hortitec® wax (water solution 1:3 v/v) was applied and air dried. Fruits were stored at low temperatures (10±2°C at 85% relative humidity RH) and at room temperature for the control (20±2°C at 75% RH). CO2 and ethylene emission, weight loss and color were tracked every two days for two weeks. Low temperatures delayed cocona senescence by up to 2 to 4 times as compared with room temperature, combined with respiratory and weight loss reduction for the three morphotypes. The small-rounded morphotype was the most sensitive to quality losses and exhibited a higher daily fresh weight loss rate while color didn´t exhibit differences between treatments. Hortitec® coating didn’t improve storage performance of cocona fruits. CO2 production and an undetectable ethylene emission suggest a non-typical behavior of cocona for at least two of the morphotypes. The small-rounded morphotype showed an slight climacteric pattern that was not accompanied by a peak of ethylene production or color changes. Low temperature storage is a feasible treatment if scaled to the local conditions of the Colombian Amazon region, which could improve cocona marketability.
