Determination of the harvest time of sugar apples (Annona squamosa L.) in function of carpel interspace

Abstract

Sugar apples have attracted attention in recent years due to their medicinal and nutritional properties. However, the shelf life of sugar apples is one of the most concerning problems owing to their perishability. This work aimed to determine the ideal harvest time for sugar apple fruits in relation to different classes of carpel interspaces. Therefore, fruits were classified into three stages according to the carpel interspace: stage 1 (0.0 - 2.0 mm); stage 2 (2.1 - 3.0 mm); and stage 3 (3.0 - 4.0 mm). After harvesting, the fruits were evaluated daily in the laboratory regarding their physical and physicochemical aspects until they reached the point of consumption (horticultural maturation). The following variables were evaluated: fruit diameter and length (mm); fruit, peel, pulp, and seed masses (g); color index, including the chromatic attributes L* (luminosity), C* (chroma), and h* (hue angle); bark firmness (N); soluble solids (°Brix); titratable acidity (g citric acid 100 g-1 of pulp-1); pulp yield; and ratio SS/TA. Fruits at stage 3 showed larger diameters, less firmness, and better chromaticity means. Fruits at stages 2 and 3 had eight days of postharvest life. However, fruits at stage 2 took longer for 50% of the fruits to be ready for consumption. The results demonstrate that stages 2 and 3 can be determinants for the harvest time of sugar apples.

Determining the preliminary performance of selected Annonaceae cultivars in subtropical conditions

“…The titratable acidity is directly involved with the organoleptic quality of the fruits, influencing its taste and odor, being therefore, a key characteristic that defines fruit quality. Sugar apple cultivars had titratable acidity values similar to those observed in the literature (Moura et al, 2021) but higher than those observed by Pereira et al 2014b, averages of 0.16 g of citric acid 100 g -1 pulp. The low titratable acidity presented in the fruits of sugar-apple cultivars must have occurred due to their rapid maturation, not producing enough organic acids to increase the titratable acidity.…”

“…Both sugar-apples and atemoyas have excellent physicochemical qualities, with changes in chemical composition during fruit ripening (Moura et al, 2021(Moura et al, , 2019bSantos et al, 2016), which makes their taste and aroma more pleasant. The value of annona varies according to the internal and external quality of the fruits.…”

“…The value of annona varies according to the internal and external quality of the fruits. Fruit quality characteristics such as taste and odor, texture, nutritional value, size, symmetry, mass, color, firmness, sweetness, acidity, physical and physiological defects among others are influenced by the long-and short-term environmental conditions of the orchard (Moura et al 2021;Moura et al 2019b), therefore, the phenological knowledge of cultivars is extremely important.…”

“…The organoleptic characteristics of fruits have a defined genetic range and gene expression is influenced by climatic conditions and orchard management (Moura et al, 2021(Moura et al, , 2019b. The variation in the physical characteristics of fruits of annona species is also related to pollen source and load (Lau et al, 2017), pollen viability (Araújo et al, 2021;Pereira et al, 2014a) and the methodology and timing of pollination (Alves Rodrigues et al, 2018;Mota Filho et al, 2012;Pereira et al, 2014b).…”

‘LeahReese’: A New Sugar Apple (Annona squamosa L.) Cultivar

“…Mean fruit mass was 638.73 g, peel mass was 282.14 g, and seed mass was 39.30 g, with a mean of 90 seeds. Compared with other sugar apples, 'LeahReese' is generally larger (Crane et al, 2016;Moura et al, 2019Moura et al, , 2021Neto et al, 2010;Pinto et al, 2005;Silva et al, 2007). The fruit has an mean of 50.43% pulp, 25.48 Brix, a pH of 5.01, an acidity of 0.228 g citric acid/40 g of pulp, and a Brix-to-acid ratio of 119.04 (Table 1).…”