ABSTRACT

In order to prolong the shelf life and maintain the quality of Papaya/UENF/Caliman01, different concentrations of CaCl₂ applied by vacuum infiltration were tested. The fruit were separated into six groups: control (no treatment) and treatments with CaCl₂ at 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% CaCl2 (w/v), applied by immersion under vacuum during 3 min at 50kPa tension. Further analysis was then performed with respect to weight loss, fruit firmness, mesocarp firmness, hue angle color, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid, total sugars, and the SS/TA ratio. The calcium treatment did not affect the weight loss, which generally increased over time. However, the fruit remained green and firm longer when treated with CaCl₂ at 6% and 8% (w/v). The use of CaCl₂ did not affect chemical fruit characteristics such as soluble solids, titratable acidity, and SS/TA ratio, but did decrease the synthesis of ascorbic acid and the degradation of soluble sugars.

Index terms
Carica papaya ; quality; soluble sugar; texture of the pulp; skin color; CaCl₂