PHYSICOCHEMICAL, NUTRITIONAL AND MICROBIAL QUALITY OF FRESH‐CUT AND FROZEN PAPAYA PREPARED FROM CULTIVARS WITH VARYING RESISTANCE TO INTERNAL YELLOWING DISEASE

Quality, nutritional and microbial analyses were completed for fresh-cut and frozen papaya cubes prepared from cultivars with varying resistance to internal yellowing (IY) disease caused by the bacterium Enterobacter cloacae. In general, fresh-cut and frozen papaya retained nutritional and microbial quality, but visual and textural quality declined. Fresh-cut fruit pretreated with 1% calcium lactate solution were firmer than control fruit, but translucency limited the shelf life of cubes dipped in either water or calcium lactate. Vitamin C content averaged 61.5 mg/100 g and 52.2 mg/100 g for fresh-cut and frozen fruit, respectively. Vitamin A content was greatest in fresh-cut “Laie Gold” and “Rainbow” fruit, and averaged 35.1 µg retinol activity equivalents per 100 g for all cultivars. Microbial counts were very low or not detectable for most samples. Among the cultivars resistant to IY, “Rainbow” had the highest vitamin A and sugar contents, and did not develop translucency. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This study provides new nutritional information for fresh-cut and frozen papaya products that can be included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database. Also, data on cultivar attributes may assist processors of fresh-cut or frozen papaya products in choosing the best cultivars by considering appearance, texture, flavor, nutritional content and microbial quality. The selection of papaya cultivars with resistance to internal yellowing disease will allow processors to produce nutritious value-added products that conform to food safety guidelines.