Influence of different ripening stages on quality of ‘Fino’ lemons

The lemon fruit industry shows the necessity to improve the production process with the aim to guarantee the quality that their customers demand and increase competitiveness in the fresh fruit market. Actually, most synthetic fungicides are being banned, which is causing important economic losses derivate from the increase of claims associated with the incidence of decay in the packaging. Therefore, lemon fruit producers need sustainable tools to manage this situation properly. The aim of this study was to clarify the evolution of the lemon fruit physico-chemical parameters on-tree and the effect on postharvest quality. The main quality parameters of lemon fruits have been studied such as: firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), total phenolic content (TPC) in flavedo and the decay incidence during the ripening process on the tree. These results showed that firmness, TSS, TA and TPC were decreasing along the harvest season. Contrary, decay incidence increased and experienced a high rise in November, coinciding with a rain period, which promoted fungal growth and pathogeny. In conclusion, establishing a lemon fruit ripening standards could be a useful tool to optimize fruit management during production and marketing.