Quality Changes in Cantaloupe During Growth, Maturation, and in Stored Fresh-cut Cubes Prepared from Fruit Harvested at Various Maturities

Abstract

<jats:p>Cantaloupe (<jats:italic>Cucumis melo</jats:italic> L. var. <jats:italic>reticulatus</jats:italic> Naudin) were evaluated during development and then fresh-cut cubes were stored after preparation from various maturities to track quality changes during storage. Flowers were anthesis tagged one morning in two seasons (years) and developing fruit were harvested weekly at 13, 20, 27 to 28, and 34 to 35 days after anthesis (DAA). Mature fruit were harvested at 37 to 38 DAA with five distinct maturities: 1/4-, 1/2-, 3/4-slip, full-slip (FS), and overripe (OR). Hunter L* and a* color values indicated a change from pale green to light orange that occurred 28 DAA. There were significant decreases in L*, a*, and b* by day 9 in storage (4 °C) as fresh-cut cubes. After 28 DAA, sucrose dramatically increased, and this was positively correlated with increases in both total sugars (<jats:italic>r</jats:italic> = 0.882, <jats:italic>P</jats:italic> = 0.084) and percent soluble solids concentration (<jats:italic>r</jats:italic> = 0.939, <jats:italic>P</jats:italic> = 0.041). Gradual deterioration occurred during storage, as determined by a uniform subjective quality criterion, which was independent of maturity. There was a negative linear trend in hand-held and instrumental firmness over the length of storage for each maturity level, and the slopes decreased significantly with increasing maturity, indicating the effect of storage duration decreased as harvest maturity increased. There was a significant increasing trend in vitamin C (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> = 0.042) during development from 12 through 35 DAA, then losses were greater in fresh-cut cubes prepared from full-slip fruit (65%) than less-mature fruit: 3/4-slip, 50%; 1/2-slip, 48%; 1/4-slip, 40%. The pH of mesocarp tissue dropped to the lowest value (5.25) just before physiological maturity at 27 to 28 DAA, then peaked after harvest (6.51–6.79), and declined somewhat by the end of storage as fresh-cut cubes. In sum, muskmelon fruit used to produce fresh-cut cubes should be harvested ≥1/2-slip to attain optimum physiological quality and consumer acceptability.</jats:p>

Fresh-cut melon quality during storage: An NMR study of water transverse relaxation time

“…Maturity stage is an important factor that may affect the intensity of wound response in fresh-cut tissues (Beaulieu and Lea, 2007;Watada and Qi, 1999). These variances in samples maturity stage contribute, along with the natural variability between complex biological systems, for the differences obtained between the three replicates.…”

Sensory Properties and Consumer Acceptance of Cantaloupe Melon Cultivars

“…reticulatus). The pH of the mesocarp tissue reaches its lowest level before physiological maturity (early harvest), then increases during ripening (Beaulieu & Lea, 2007).…”

“…In cantaloupes, the harvest maturity may be deduced from nondestructive indices such as ground color, the degree of netting, and particularly the degree of dehiscence or the infallible indicator of harvest maturity, also called ‘‘slip’’ in the trade, which is the extent of the development of an abscission layer between the vine and the fruit (Vallone et al., ). The onset of physiological maturity is marked by change in mesocarp color from pale green to light orange around 28 days postanthesis, and after 35 days, seed cavities become fully mature (Beaulieu & Lea, ). The most used index in California is the slip, and melons are generally harvested at three‐fourth to full slip stage for local market distribution, but other factors (genetic, environmental, and agronomic) may often complicate ripeness assessment by influencing the fruit's physiology and the development of this abscission zone, resulting in variable postharvest fruit quality (Beaulieu, ; Safter, Abbott, Lester, & Vinyard, ; Vallone et al., ).…”

“…Many studies measured quality features of other types of melons by instrumental analysis and sensory evaluation, mostly to investigate maturity effects (Beaulieu & Grimm, 2001;Beaulieu & Lancaster, 2007;Beaulieu & Lea, 2007;Beaulieu et al, 2004;Vallone et al, 2013). However, this paper focuses on sensory analysis and consumer research of a diverse set of Californian cantaloupes (15 cultivars) that have not yet been described in the literature.…”

A Dual Filtration-Based Multiplex PCR Method for Simultaneous Detection of Viable Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus on Fresh-Cut Cantaloupe

“…Cantaloupes ( Cucumis melo L.) are an excellent source of vitamin A and C, as well as beta-carotene, potassium, dietary fiber, and iron [1]. The popularity of cantaloupes increases globally due to their high water content and low caloric value [2,3].…”