Caracterização do ponto de colheita da Physalis peruviana L. cultivada em ambiente subtropical

Abstract

The quality of the fruit depends on the stage of maturation, which greatly influences its postharvest shelf life. The objective of this work was to identify the ideal maturation stage for the harvest of Physalis peruviana L. cultivated in espalier with 6 stems in a subtropical environment. The fruits of Physalis Peruviana L. were obtained from plants grown in the open field, originating from seeds, being produced in trays and transplanted in the field. The harvest was performed 100 days after transplanting the seedlings, with a complete harvest being carried out, with the fruits being taken to the laboratory and classified into five stages of maturation, according to the color of the calyx, defined in green; yellowish-green; greenishyellow; yellow and yellow-brown. The experimental design used was a completely randomized design, consisting of five treatments, comprising the stages of maturation (green calyx; yellow-green; yellow-green; yellow and yellow-brown), and four replications. The analyzes performed were of fruit mass with calyx and fruit mass without calyx (g); horizontal and vertical diameter (mm); coloration expressed in hue angle, chroma and luminosity; percentage of cracked fruits; pH; titratable acidity and total soluble solids (°Brix). For fruit mass with calyx, the highest value was in the yellow stage with 4.33 g, followed by the brownish yellow stage (3.94 g) and the greenish yellow stage (3.79 g). The highest values of vertical and horizontal diameter were found in fruits at the greenish-yellow, yellow and brownish-yellow stages. The fruits of the green stage presented the highest average in acidity, with the stage and the content of total soluble solids, the highest average was found in the fruits of the yellow-brown stage (14.12 ºBrix), followed by the yellow-green stage (13 .27 ºBrix) and yellow (12.92 ºBrix). The hue angle (hº) in the calyx and epidermis of the fruit decreases as the maturation stages progress, with the lowest values in the yellow-brown stages. For calyx chroma (C*), the highest value was in the greenish-yellow stage (32.87), and for the fruit epidermis, the highest C* was in the brownish stage (59.65). The highest luminosity (L*) of the calyx and the fruit epidermis were in the yellow (57.72) and greenishyellow (72.57) stages, respectively. The fruits of the yellow and brownish-yellow stages had the highest percentages of cracked fruits. It is concluded that the fruits of Physalis Peruviana L. can be harvested from the yellow-green stage, where the fruits already have the minimum quality attributes required and low incidence of cracks.