Quality attributes, ascorbic acid, and antioxidant activity in soursop fruits (Anonna muricata L.) stored at suboptimal temperatures of refrigeration

O. Monarres-Cuevas, I. Alia-Tejacal, G.A. Pérez-Arias, V. López-Martínez, D. Guillén-Sánchez, P. Juárez-López, S. Valle-Guadarrama, L.L. Rodríguez-Verástegui, E. Campos-Rojas
Soursop fruits (Anonna muricata L.) can be marketed fresh or processed due to their excellent sensory characteristics. They are, however, highly perishable and suffer from chilling injury (CI) when stored below 15-18°C. Symptoms of CI have not been adequately studied in this species, and for this reason, quality attributes, vitamin C content, and antioxidant activities were evaluated after storage at suboptimally-low temperatures of 9 and 14°C (for 4 and 8 d, with subsequent transfer to 25°C for ripening). Only fruits stored at 9°C had visual symptoms of CI (pitting, abnormal hardening, dark or brown patches in the pulp). Weight loss and total soluble solids were not affected by this disorder; however, titratable acidity (TA) and the content of ascorbic acid were lower in fruits kept at 9°C, especially after 8 d. Both DPPH- and ABTS-determined antioxidant activities were higher in fruits stored at 9°C; however, fruits stored at 14°C behaved similarly to controls. It was concluded that 9°C was the temperature at which A. muricata L. fruits begin to suffer from CI, and that the observed effects on TA, vitamin C, and antioxidant activities were reliable indicators of this disorder.
Monarres-Cuevas, O., Alia-Tejacal, I., Pérez-Arias, G.A., López-Martínez, V., Guillén-Sánchez, D., Juárez-López, P., Valle-Guadarrama, S., Rodríguez-Verástegui, L.L. and Campos-Rojas, E. (2022). Quality attributes, ascorbic acid, and antioxidant activity in soursop fruits (Anonna muricata L.) stored at suboptimal temperatures of refrigeration. Acta Hortic. 1340, 27-34
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2022.1340.4
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2022.1340.4
chilling injury, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, vitamin C
English

Acta Horticulturae