The present study aimed to evaluate the storage fruit potential of sour passion fruit progenies at temperatures of 7, 14 and 25 °C. The fruits were harvested at 30% yellow peel color, selected, sanitized and stored under refrigeration in chambers with relative humidity of 80% (± 5%) for a period of 12 days. The experiment was installed in a factorial scheme (3 × 3 × 4), with three progenies selected in the breeding program (P42, P45 and P49), three storage temperatures (7, 14 and 25 ° C) and four evaluation periods (0, 4, 8 and 12 days after storage). Analyzes of fruit mass, pulp mass, pericarp mass, pulp yield, pericarp thickness, water loss, soluble solids content, titratable acidity and ascorbic acid content were performed. There were significant differences among the studied progenies, P49 showed better traits than the other progenies, mainly regarding the resistance to water loss, the main trait that affects the quality of the fruits. Storage at 14 °C for twelve days is feasible to maintain the quality of sour passion fruit. The temperature of 7 °C inhibits the ripening of the fruits and promotes dehydration, confirming the non-recommendation of storage in this condition.

In Brazil, the prickly pear has been gaining more and more attention, mainly due to its nutritional health promotion benefits. However, its postharvest conservation is still incipient The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of cassava starch in different concentrations in relation to quality preservation and postharvest shelf life prolongation of prickly pear stored at 10 °C and relative humidity of 95%. Fruit were harvested at maturation stage III, in plants with 8 years of age, in the municipality of Janaúba - MG. Then they were selected, sanitized and immersed in sulutions of cassava starch at 0; 1; 2 and 3% for 1 minute and stored at 10 ± 1 ◦C and relative humidity of 95 ± 5%, for 25 days, and evaluated every five days. The designed trial consisted of a completely randomized trial, in a 4x6 factorial scheme: four concentrations of cassava starch and six periods of evaluations (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 days), with four replications. Fruit were evaluated for physical, chemical and nutritional characteristics. During storage were observed weight loss, firmness loss, chlorophyll degradation, acidity reduction and ascorbic acid, with increase of soluble solids, total sugars and carotenoids in fruit. The higher the cassava starch concentration, the greater the maintenance of fruit quality. The 3% cassava starch coating was the most efficient at delaying the weight loss, decay, softening and wilting in the fruits, the main characteristics that affect the quality of prickly pear. However, this concentration presented, as an inconvenience, coating peeling at the end of storage.

-Repeatability analysis has been used to study traits in several crops, assisting in the definition of the minimum number needed to evaluate genotypes more efficiently and with less time and resource consumption. So far, however, no repeatability studies on cactus pear have been found in the literature. The objective of this study was to determine the coefficient of repeatability for cactus pear fruits traits and the minimum number of evaluations (fruit) that can provide acceptable accuracy for the prediction of the true value. The experiment was conducted at the Federal Institute of Bahia/Campus Guanambi, with 150 fruits collected from three municipalities in the state of Bahia. The coefficients of repeatability were estimated by the methods of analysis of variance, principal components based on the covariance (PCCV) and correlation (PCC) matrices, and structural analysis based on the correlation matrix (SA). The analysis of variance showed that, except for fruit diameter, the effect of the production site (municipality) was significant for all traits evaluated. The PCCV method was proven the most suitable for studying the repeatability of quality traits of cactus pear fruits. Seven fruits were required to determine, with 90% confidence, the traits length, diameter, fruit firmness, skin thickness, number of seeds, fruit mass, bark mass, pulp mass, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, SS/AT ratio, and pulp yield.

Aims: The study objective was to determine the harvest point of red pitaya produced in the north of Minas Gerais, Brazil, according to physical and chemical changes during refrigerated storage. Study Design: The experiment was conducted through a completely randomized design in a 3 x 5 factorial scheme composed of three treatments (ripening stages) and five post-harvest assessment days (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20), with four repeats of four fruits per experimental unit. Study Place and Duration: The experiment was conducted in a cold chamber at the State University of Montes Claros, Brazil, between July and August 2018. Methodology: The following quality parameters were assessed: fruit fresh mass, length and diameter at harvest point, color, firmness, soluble solid content, titratable acidity, total sugars, reducing and non-reducing, pH and amide, during storage. Results: There was no significant difference for fresh mass, length and diameter as a function of ripening stages. Ripening stages 2 and 3 presented higher soluble solid content means. Conclusion: Considering the conditions of northern Minas Gerais, harvest should happen at stages 2 or 3, when fruits have a brighter red hue, that is, are more attractive and of easier identification by producers. In addition, pitayas at these stages have higher soluble solid contents and reduced pulp acidity during storage in relation to fruits harvested at S1.