FRUIT QUALITY OF LYCHEE (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) PRODUCED IN VERACRUZ STATE, MÉXICO

Abstract

Lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a fruit originating from China and Vietnam which is cultivated in México also, and Veracruz is cultivated with ‘Mauritius’ and ‘Brewster’ cultivars and it is the main state for the national and international markets. The aim of this research was to evaluate the physical and chemical characteristics of lychee fruits produced in six orchards located at the central and northern regions of the state of Veracruz. For this study 4 kg were sampled per each orchard, from which 40 fruits were randomly selected for quality evaluation. The variables measured were: length, diameter, firmness, weight of fruit and its components (e.g. pulp, peel and seed), total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and pericarp color. The ‘Mauritius’ fruits varied in quality amongst orchards. The Lechuguillas orchard showed the biggest fruits with 35.1 mm length , 21.2 g of total weight and 16.8 g of pulp weight. Furthermore, fruits of this site had low acidity, acceptable peel color and high content of total soluble solids.