Refrigeration and modified atmosphere to the conservation of ‘Malasia’ Star fruit

EnglishDespite the fact that cold storage and modified atmosphere techniques have already been studied for fresh cut Star fruit, little has been done considering the whole fruit. Besides that, each cultivar has its peculiarities, so the efficiency of combined postharvest treatments should be studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), 8.5 µm thick and low-density polyethylene (LDPE), 33 µm thick associated with cold storage (10 ± 1 °C and 5 ± 1 °C / 85 ± 5% RH) on the conservation of ‘Malasia’ Star fruit. Storage at 25 oC maintained Star fruit overall quality, regardless of the film type, up to four days. The weight loss was higher in fruit packed with PVC, but this fact was not noticed by the sensory analysis. The storage in 5 and 10 oC did not caused chilling injury but fruit presented retention of yellow color development and firmness reduction; these aspects were positively assessed by the sensory analysis. The film type did not influence the conservation of the fruit. The storage at 5 and 10 °C, regardless of the package film, prolonged ‘Malasia’ star fruit shelf life up to 16 days, followed by two days at 25 °C portuguesApesar das tecnicas de armazenamento refrigerado e atmosfera modificada ja terem sido estudadas para carambolas processadas, pouco foi feito considerando a fruta inteira. Alem disso, cada cultivar possui peculiaridades, dessa forma a eficiencia dos tratamentos pos-colheita combinados deve ser estudada. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do cloreto de polivinila (PVC), 8,5 µm de espessura e polietileno de baixa densidade (PEBD), 33 µm de espessura associados ao armazenamento refrigerado (10 ± 1 °C e 5 ± 1 °C / 85 ± 5% de UR) na conservacao da carambola Malasia. O armazenamento a 25 °C manteve a qualidade da carambola, independentemente do tipo de filme, ate quatro dias. A perda de massa foi maior nos frutos embalados em PVC, mas esta nao foi percebida pela analise sensorial. As temperaturas de armazenamento de 5 e 10 °C nao causaram dano de frio, mas os frutos apresentaram retencao no desenvolvimento da coloracao amarela e na reducao da firmeza; esses aspectos foram avaliados positivamente na analise sensorial. O tipo de filme nao influenciou a conservacao do fruto. O armazenamento a 5 e 10 °C, independente do filme da embalagem, prolongou a vida util da carambola ‘Malasia’ ate 16 dias, seguido por dois dias a 25 °C