Vol. 120 (2007): Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society
Krome Memorial Institute (Tropicals)

Effect of low temperature storage on mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota ) fruit quality

Jonathan H. Crane
Tropical Research and Education Center,

Published 2007-12-01

Keywords

  • postharvest handling,
  • mamey colorado,
  • zapote,
  • quaicuma,
  • grand sapotillier

Abstract

Florida currently has about 196 ha of mamey sapote worth an estimated $6.5 million annually. The scurfy fruit surface of mamey sapote is sometimes infested with a mining scale (Howardia biclavis), and for some market areas of the U.S. (e.g., California) the scurfy fruit surface must be free of scale, which can be removed by brushing with a paint-stripping pad. The recommended storage temperature for mamey sapote is 13 C. Thirty-five 'Pantin' mamey sapote fruit were harvested very late season (11 Nov. 2006) and stored at 10 C for 4 days. Subsequently, one-half the fruit had the scurfy fruit surface removed; fruit were then either placed at room temperature to ripen (22 to 26 C) or re-stored at 10 C for 3 more days, then placed at room temperature to ripen. In general, the stored fruit at 10 C for 4 days with or without the scurfy fruit surface or stored at 10 C for 7 days without the scurfy surface ripened normally. Fruit with the scurfy surface left intact and stored for 7 days at 10 C showed symptoms of chilling injury. In general, the mean number of days for fruit to ripen was not influenced by the presence or absence of the scurfy fruit surface but by days stored at 10 C. The number of days to ripen after treatment was not significantly different among treatments and ranged from 3.7 to 4.3 days.