Quality of Golden papaya stored under controlled atmosphere conditions

Abstract

This work evaluated physicochemical parameters of Golden papaya stored under refrigeration in controlled atmospheres. The fruits were kept at 13 ℃ in chambers containing either 3 or 6% O₂ combined with 6%, 10% or 15% CO₂. Moreover, a normal atmosphere was produced with 20.8% O₂ and 0.03% CO₂ with ethylene scrubbing, and a control treatment was used with ambient conditions. Evaluations were performed at the following times: before storage, after 30 days of storage in controlled atmosphere, and after removal from controlled atmosphere and storage for 7 days in the cold room. At the lower O₂ levels and higher CO₂ levels, the ripening rate was decreased. The drop in pulp acidity was avoided after 30 days of storage at 3% O₂, but the fruits reached normal acidity after removal from controlled atmosphere and storage for 7 days in the cold room. The reducing sugars remained at a higher concentration after 30 days under 3% O₂ and 15% CO₂ even 7 days after removal from controlled atmosphere and storage in the cold room. This atmosphere also preserved the content of ascorbic acid at a higher level.