Fruit maturity stage has direct influence on the post-harvest life and consumer quality. Therefore, the understanding of the maturation process and its quality characteristics for storage are key factors for commercialization. In face of the foregoing, this study aimed to determine shelf life and changes in physical and chemical indexes of cherry tomatoes (Perinha Água Branca (PAB) and Mascot), assessing fruit harvested at four maturity stages and stored at ambient and controlled temperatures. For this, it was used fruit at turning, pink, red and ripe maturity stages, submitted to ambient (25 ± 2 °C) and controlled (12 °C and 90% RH) temperature, and assessed over time the indexes of fresh mass loss, titratable acidity, pH, soluble solids and ascorbic acid. The experimental design was completely randomized design in a factorial scheme of 2×4×7 for ambient temperature and 2×4×8 for controlled temperature. At ambient temperature, a longevity of up to 20 days was observed for PAB and Mascot fruit harvested at turning and pink maturity stages. When harvested at red and ripe stages, the longevity was of 15 days for PAB fruit and of 15 and 11 days, respectively, for Mascot fruit. At controlled temperature, PAB fruit showed longevity of 24 days when harvested at turning and pink stages and of 20 and 7 days, respectively, when harvested at red and ripe stages. A longevity of up to 27 days was observed for Mascot fruit harvested at turning stage and of 24 days for the other stages. The fruit harvested at turning and pink maturity stages, associated with storage under controlled conditions, presented higher longevity and maintenance of physical and chemical indexes of quality. Key words: Solanum lycopersicum. Maturity stage. Post-harvest.
ResumoO estádio de maturação do fruto influencia diretamente na sua vida pós-colheita e na escolha por parte do consumidor, por isso o entendimento do processo de maturação e de suas características de qualidade para o armazenamento são fatores fundamentais para a comercialização. Diante disso, este trabalho teve por objetivo determinar o tempo de prateleira e alterações dos índices físicos e químicos em frutos de tomate do grupo cereja (Perinha Água Branca (PAB) e Mascot), colhidos em quatro estádios de maturação e armazenados sob temperatura ambiente e controlada. Para issa, foram utilizados frutos nos estádios de maturação: de vez, rosado, vermelho e maduro, submetidos às temperaturas: ambiente (25 ± 2 °C) e controlada (12 °C e UR de 90%) e avaliados os índices de perda de massa fresca, acidez titulável, pH, sólidos solúveis e ácido ascórbico ao longo do tempo. O delineamento experimental foi