Abstract

UNDURRAGA, Pedro L.; OLAETA, José A.; RETAMALES, Jorge B.  and  TOSO, Ana M.. Manifestation of Peteca and fruit quality loss in eureka lemon under different cold storage conditions. Agrociencia [online]. 2007, vol.41, n.2, pp.133-139. ISSN 2521-9766.

Peteca, a physiological disorder of lemons (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.), has been linked to calcium nutrition and low temperatures in the orchard and postharvest storage. To establish the effect of cold storage period and temperatures on fruit quality and incidence of the disorder, yellow lemons (cv. Eureka (0.25 °Brix/acidity ratio) were harvested 5 d after a rainfall event and stored for 35 d at 3, 7 or 11±1 °C and 90-95% relative humidity (RH). The presence of peteca was evaluated after 0, 15, and 35 d of storage. Fruits were evaluated at the onset and at the end of cold storage in terms of the variables fruit equatorial diameter, weight loss, peel thickness, percent of juice, pH, soluble solids, peel calcium and titratable acidity. High incidence of peteca occurred after 15 d of storage at 11 °C and it held constant until day 35, at 7 °C damage was incipient, and at 3 °C peteca was observed after 35 d. Juice content and calcium in albedo increased during storage, reaching 38.2% and 0.57%, regardless of the storage temperature, whereas peel thickness decreased. Weight loss, up to 7.8%, was greater at 11 °C in 35 d of storage. Treatments did not significantly affect soluble solids, acidity, pH, equatorial diameter or calcium in flavedo tissue.

Keywords : Calcium; physiological disorder; rind thickness.

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