Physical characterization of guavas at different ripening stages

Abstract

Brazil is the third largest fruit producer in the world, and stands out in the production of several vegetables each year. Among this variety, there is guava, which is a very perishable fruit, and the knowledge of its post-harvest physiology is important to apply appropriate technologies, in order to increase the period of preservation of the fruit. Therefore, this work aimed to carry out the physical characterization of guavas in three stages of maturation: green, semi-ripe and ripe. The fruits were analyzed for water content, specific gravity, volume, surface area, sphericity, size and mass. In addition to a study on the guidelines of guavas immersed in water and an analysis of the texture of their peels at different stages of ripeness. The data were treated statistically according to a completely randomized experiment, and the means were compared using the Tukey test at 5% and 1% probability. It was observed that the physical parameters, although with a non-standard sampling, did not generate statistically different results, and the firmness of the guava peels decreased with advancing maturation.