POSTHARVEST QUALITY CHANGES OF SEEDLESS AND SEEDED CACTUS PEAR VARIETIES

Abstract

Some quality traits (at harvest and after 20 d at 10± 1°C, 90% RH) and the respiratory pattern of seedless and seeded cactus pear of six varieties cultivated at La Nopalera Experimental Station of the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo and harvested at commercial maturity, were determined. Seedless cactus pears were obtained by emasculating flowers 2 d before bloom and by spraying indolbutiric and gibberellic acids. The absence of seeds affected negatively and differentially some of the quality traits, depending on the variety. Naranjona variety was the most sensible to the lask of seeds, since their seedless fruits had the lowest weight, juice/flesh and flesh/peel
ratios, and they were larger, with thicker peel and showed higher peel softening, than seeded fruits. At harvest time, seedless fruits had lower flesh/peel ratio (P ≤ 0.05) in almost all varieties, except in Amarilla 2289. There were no significant effects of the lack of seeds in weight losses, total soluble solids and titratable acidity. After refrigerated storage seedless fruits consistently showed thicker peel (P ≤ 0.05) in almost all varieties, except Amarilla Milpa Alta, and higher peel softening (P ≤ 0.05)in Amarilla 3389, Rubí Reina and Naranjona varieties. The lowest softening and weight losses were showed by fruits of Cristalina variety, while the highest softening was showed by fruits of Rubi Reina variety and the highest weight loss by Amarilla Milpa Alta and Amarilla 3389 varieties.