The shrivel symptoms in Abiu (Pouteria caimito) fruit during storage and its relationship to weight loss, edible portion, and firmness

Abiu fruit has many health benefits including antimicrobial and anti-cancer. The shriveling symptom in abiu fruit is one of the problems that can reduce fruit quality during storage and decrease consumer preference. However, abiu fruit indicates shriveling symptoms easily during storage. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate the changes in shriveling symptoms at two stages of maturity of abiu fruit during the storage period. Abiu fruit was harvested at the half-ripe (HR) and the fully-ripe stages. They were stored at ambient temperatures (28±1°C) for 12 days. The shriveling symptoms, weight loss, firmness, and edible part portion parameters were observed during the study. In further, shriveling incidence (SI) was calculated. Shriveling in abiu fruit harvested half-ripe appeared on day 6 of the storage period. The result suggested that the shriveling symptoms are not a problem in postharvest abiu fruit harvested fully ripe, but it is not so in abiu fruit harvested half-ripe. The shriveling symptoms in abiu fruit harvested at the half-ripe stage occurred when the weight loss was ≥6% and the firmness was ≤11 N.