| Effect of
cultivar, hot water treatment and storage conditions on quality of
fresh-cut papaya (Carica papaya L.). |
| Allong,
R.,Wickham, L. D.,Majeed Mohammed |
| Department of
Food Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University
of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| The effects
of hot water treatments and storage conditions on quality of fresh-cut
papaya were investigated. A hot water treatment of 48-50 deg C for 20
minutes was found to delay fungal storage rots in fruits of Tainung #2
and Red Lady cultivars without negatively affecting sensory quality.
Fresh-cut slices from fruit of Tainung #2 and Red Lady cultivars were
stored at 5 deg C and 10 deg C and evaluated for changes in physical,
chemical and microbial quality over eight days. There was a decline in
sensory quality and acceptability of Red Lady papaya slices after four
days at both temperatures, while fresh-cut Tainung #2 fruit held at 5
deg C and 10 deg C was found to have high sensory quality and
acceptability up to six days of storage. A storage temperature of 5 deg
C was more effective than 10 deg C in reducing CO2 and ethylene
accumulation, as well as suppressing microbial growth, while maintaining
high sensory quality in fresh-cut papaya slices. Unacceptable microbial
counts were obtained in Red Lady and Tainung #2 fruit slices stored at
10 deg C after 4 and 6 days, respectively. Ripe papaya fruit of Tainung
#2 cultivar with total soluble solids of >11 deg Brix, total sugars
of >83 g kg-1, and vitamin C of 620-740 mg kg-1 were found suitable
for fresh cut purposes in terms of maintenance of acceptable taste and
vitamin C content during storage. |
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