Lichia qualidade e controle do escurecimento

Abstract

Litchi is a subtropical fruit of high commercial value, due to its characteristic sweet acidic taste, excellent aroma, high nutritive value and attractive deep bright red color of its peel. However, harvested litchi fruit rapidly lose its bright red skin colour. Peel browning of harvested litchi has largely been attributed to the rapid degradation of the anthocyanin pigments. Due to it high perishibility, browning control is a fundamental process to the increase of post-harvest useful life aiming the home market and fruit exportation. This study evaluated the postharvest behavior of litchi fruits regarding pericarp browning and changes on litchi fruits pulp quality when applied differents packings: plastic trays covered with plastic film or hole plastic film and fruits covered with cassava starch film (3%). Litchi fruits were stored for six days at room temperature (25,1ºC±1,5; 69,3%UR). Physical, chemical and biochemical analyses were performed on day 0 and on every two days till the end of the storage period. Packing covered with hole plastic film maintained the deep bright red color of litchi fruit peel during the six days of storage, on room temperature, whitout pulp nutritive value alteration.