Revista Ciência Agronômica, v. 46, n. 1, p. 176-184, jan-mar, 2015 Centro de Ciências Agrárias - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE Artigo Científico www.ccarevista.ufc.br ISSN 1806-6690 Quality of different tropical fruit cultivars produced in the Lower Basin of the São Francisco Valley1 Qualidade de cultivares de diferentes frutas tropicais produzidas no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco Patrício Ferreira Batista2*, Maria Auxiliadora Coêlho de Lima3, Danielly Cristina Gomes da Trindade3 e Ricardo Elesbão Alves4 ABSTRACT - The present study evaluated the physical, physico-chemical and chemical characteristics of fruit from commercial cultivars of the mango, acerola, guava, atemoya and custard apple, produced in the Lower Basin of the São Francisco Valley. Fruit harvested in commercial areas of the region were evaluated for weight, length, diameter, colouration of the peel and pulp, firmness, pH, titratable acidity (TA), soluble solids (SS), SS to TA ratio, and levels of total soluble sugars, reducing sugars, starch and pectic substances. The data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. Fruits from cultivars of the guava (Paluma, Rica and Pedro Sato), the custard apple and atemoya display a high level of pectic substances, a characteristic which favours industrial use. In the mango, a high level of pectic substances was noted in fruit of the cultivars Kent, Espada, Tommy Atkins and Van Dyke. Fruits of the acerola cultivar Costa Rica show high SS content and a low AT, favouring consumption in natura. Key words: Sensory characteristics. Postharvest. Tropical fruits. RESUMO - O presente estudo avaliou as características físicas, físico-químicas e químicas dos frutos de cultivares comerciais de mangueira, aceroleira, goiabeira, atemoieira e pinheira produzidas no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco. Frutos colhidos em áreas comerciais da região foram avaliados quanto à massa, comprimento, diâmetro, coloração da casca e polpa, firmeza, pH, acidez titulável (AT), teor de sólidos solúveis (SS), relação SS/AT, teores de açúcares solúveis totais, açúcares redutores, amido e substâncias pécticas. Os dados foram submetidos à análise estatística descritiva. Os frutos das cultivares de goiabeira (Paluma, Rica e Pedro Sato), da pinheira e da atemoieira apresentam alto teor de substâncias pécticas, característica que favorece o aproveitamento industrial. Em mangueira, alto teor de substâncias pécticas foi observado nos frutos das cultivares Kent, Espada, Tommy Atkins e Van Dyke. Os frutos da cultivar de aceroleira Costa Rica apresentam alto teor de SS e baixa AT, favorecendo o consumo in natura. Palavras-chave: Características sensoriais. Pós-Colheita. Frutas tropicais. *Autor para correspondência 1Recebido para publicação em 27/11/2013; aprovado em 07/11/2014 Parte da Dissertação de Mestrado do primeiro autor, apresentado ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Fitotecnia da Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido 2Programa de Pós-Graduação em Fitotecnia, Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, Av. Francisco Mota, nº 572, Bairro Costa e Silva, Mossoró-RN, Brazil, 59.625-900, [email protected] 3Embrapa Semiárido, BR 428, Km 152, Zona Rural, Caixa Postal 23, Petrolina-PE, Brazil, 56.302-970, [email protected]; danielly. [email protected] 4Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical, Rua Dra. Sara Mesquita, Nº 2270, Bairro Planalto do Pici, Fortaleza-CE, Brazil, 60.511-110, ricardo.alves@ embrapa.br P. F. Batista et al. INTRODUCTION seeds and greater postharvest life (MOSCA; LIMA, 2003). Its introduction into the northeast is recent, with the Gefner Its continental size and the diversity of fruit available for cultivar predominating, being initially grown in the irrigation consumption make Brazil a promising field for the expansion projects of the Lower Basin of the São Francisco Valley. of fruit production. Whether for the local or regional market, or for export, the country is increasing its productive areas each Regardless of the area of production, agricultural year. Currently, Brazil is the third largest fruit producer after activity can only be strengthened through investment India and China. In 2012, the country exported 693,020,403 in technology that ensures the quality of the fruit and tonnes, achieving a turnover of US $ 618,821,149.00 results in marketing differences and access to different (ANUÁRIO BRASILEIRO DA FRUTICULTURA, 2013; consumer profiles. In this context, the present study aimed INSTITUTO BRASILEIRO DE FRUTAS, 2012). to evaluate the physical, chemical and physico-chemical characteristics of fruits of commercial cultivars of mango, The fruit production hub of Petrolina in Pernambuco acerola, guava, custard apple and atemoya, produced in (PE) and Juazeiro in Bahia (BA), stands out as the major the Lower Basin of the São Francisco Valley. fruit producer in Latin America. According to data from the Development Company of the São Francisco and Parnaíba Valleys, the hub has about 120,000 hectares devoted to agriculture. Fruit production predominates, especially MATERIAL AND METHODS mango, grapes, banana, coconut, acerola, guava, custard The fruit harvested for the study were collected apple and atemoya. About one million tonnes of fruit from orchards under commercial production in the are produced annually in the region, 70% destined for Lower Basin of the São Francisco Valley, in the towns the domestic market, more specifically the south-central of Petrolina PE and Juazeiro BA (09º09” S, 40°22” W, region of the country. Approximately 30% of production at an average altitude of 365.5 m). According to the however is for the export market, accounting for almost Köppen classification, the climate in the region is of half the total Brazilian fruit exports of (BRASIL, 2010). type Bswh, corresponding to very hot semi-arid. The For fresh consumption, one of the most important crops annual rainfall is 571.5 mm with an average annual temperature is the mango, being produced in all states of the Northeast, of 26.4 °C, with an average minimum of 20.6 °C and average particularly in irrigated areas, where high fruit yields and maximum of 31.7 °C (EMPRESA BRASILEIRA DE quality are achieved. This crop involves a large annual PESQUISA AGROPECUÁRIA, 2013). turnover in the domestic and foreign markets, guaranteeing its Fruits were evaluated from cultivars of the mango economic and social importance (XAVIER et al., 2009). (Van Dyke, Tommy Atkins, Haden, Kent, Palmer, Keitt, The acerola is not normally a very attractive fruit Espada and Rosa), acerola (Sertaneja, Okinawa, Costa for fresh consumption, as it generally presents an acid Rica and Flor Branca), guava (Paluma, Rico and Pedro and astringent taste, is very perishable and deteriorates Sato),atemoya (Gefner) and custard apple. rapidly. However, the consumption of fresh acerola fruit Harvesting was carried out by hand in the early may be stimulated through the availability of firmer, hours of the day, from March to October of 2009 sweeter and less acidic varieties. It is recognized, depending on the fruit crop being studied. however, that these characteristics are strongly influenced by climatic conditions and management of The fruits of the mango, guava, custard apple the orchards (RITZINGER; RITZINGER, 2011). and atemoyas were harvested at physiological maturity (maturation stage ‘ready’). Once harvested, they were The guava is an excellent fruit for human consumption, placed into cardboard boxes and transported to the given its high content of vitamin C, carotenoids, phenolic Laboratory of Post-Harvest Physiology of Embrapa compounds and minerals, in addition to having low calorie Semiárido in Petrolina PE, where they remained at room content and good antioxidant potential (DURIGAN; temperature (25.9 ± 1.7 °C and 66 ± 5% RH) until reaching MATTIUZ; MORGADO, 2009). It is widely cultivated the maturation stage required in this study (mature). For in irrigated, semi-arid areas (FREITAS; ALVES, 2008). fruit of the acerola, the commercial maturation stage was However, market expansion is subject to the regular supply adopted, characterised by a red colouration, typical of the of best-quality fruits with a greater postharvest life. ripe fruit, but still firm enough to withstand handling. On a smaller scale of cultivation compared to the When the fruits of the mango, guava, custard other fruits, production of the custard apple and atemoya apple and atemoya were ripe, they were divided into four has space in the market due to their specific characteristics. replications, each made up of 20 fruits from each cultivar. Compared to the custard apple, fruit of the atemoya has the For the acerola, four replications of 25 fruits were used advantage of a sweet, slightly acidic flavour and aroma, fewer for conducting physical tests, while for the physico- Rev. Ciênc. Agron., v. 46, n. 1, p. 176-184, jan-mar, 2015 177 Quality of different tropical fruit cultivars produced in the Lower Basin of the São Francisco Valley chemical and chemical analyses, the same number of titration with a 0.1 N NaOH solution, expressing the replications was used, each with a sample of 2 kg. results as a percentage of malic acid for the acerola, and of citric acid for the other fruits; k) levels of SS to TA, The variables analysed were: a) weight (g), determined obtained by the ratio between these two variables; l) starch with a semi-analytic balance, accurate to 0.1 g; b) length and content, determined according to a methodology described diameter (cm), obtained with digital calipers; c) colouration by Association of Official Analytical Chemistry (1995); of the skin and pulp, evaluated by reflectometer, using and m) levels of pectic substances, extracted following a luminance (L), chroma (C) and hue (H); d) firmness of procedure described by McCready and McComb (1952). the pulp (N), measured by a manual penetrometer with The physical variables were measured in all the fruits an 8 mm diameter tip for the mango, guava and atemoya, individually, and the physico-chemical and chemical and by a digital electronic texturometer with a 2 mm tip variables by experimental plot, homogenizing the fruit for the acerola; e) resistance of the custard apple pulp to that made up each sample prior to analysis.