QUALITY OF PITAYA FRUIT (Hylocereus undatus) AS INFLUENCED BY STORAGE TEMPERATURE AND PACKAGING SERGIO

Pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) is a non-climacteric fruit that reaches its best eating quality when harvested ripe, decreasing thereafter during storage (CHIEN et al., 2007). As a new crop, there have been limited studies focused on extending the postharvest quality of pitaya fruit. The main postharvest problems of pitaya fruit are mechanical injury, chilling injury, decay, and water loss (NERD et al., 1999; CHANDRAN, 2010). Mechanical injury leads to development of sunken areas from increased water loss. Chilling injury is characterized by translucency and browning of the outer portion of the flesh, darkening of the scales, as well as fruit softening, shriveling, and poor flavor after exposure to low storage temperatures on the range between 5 oC and 10 oC (NERD et al., 1999). Packing the pitaya fruit in a perforated plastic bag is a potential approach to reduce water loss and rapid shriveling, which combined with low storage temperatures can extend the postharvest quality of the fruit. Our objectives were to determine the best combination of storage temperature and use of perforated plastic bags to decrease water loss and maintain the postharvest quality of pitaya fruit produced in California.